Could Richard Gere‘s new pretty woman come with a dash of spice and plenty of flavor? After Page Six reported that the 64-year-old actor is dating Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi in the midst of his divorce from his wife of 11 years, Carey Lowell, Us Weekly confirmed the news.
“It started very recently and quietly,” a source tells Us. “It’s very new. I wouldn’t even go as far as calling them a couple. They are dating. It’s the first time Padma has dated anyone since Teddy [Forstmann], and it’s something she’s been approaching very, very delicately. They just getting to know each other. They’re just having fun.”
Gere is currently filming the movie Time Out of Mind, in which he portrays a homeless man named George who is trying to reconnect with his daughter Maggie (Jena Malone).
Lakshmi, 43, lives in New York with Krishna, 3, her daughter with ex Adam Dell, the venture capitalist brother of computer legend Michael Dell.
Both of the stars have been married before. Before wedding actress Lowell, 52, Gere was previously married to Cindy Crawford for four years, divorcing in 1995. Gere and Lowell split in September 2013. They share son Homer, 14.
The Indian-born cookbook author was married to writer Salman Rushdie for three years before divorcing in 2007, and dated billionaire Teddy Forstmann until his death at age 71 in 2011.
Neither party has commented on the potential romance.