Padma Lakshmi thinks women "shouldn't be afraid of ageing"

She told PEOPLE: "I'm here to tell younger women that you shouldn't be afraid of ageing. You shouldn't be afraid that time is running out.

"You should know that it just gets better and better and better because you learn from life. You become experienced."

Padma has noticed changes in her figure over recent years. However, she doesn't have any desire to return to her 20s.

She said: "I wouldn't go back to my 20s if you made me a billionaire.

"Would I like the thighs of my 20s? Of course I would. I would also like my pre-breastfed boobs back, but that's okay. Those are small prices to pay for what I have gained in the interim. So, I'm going to enjoy all of my success as much as I can because it was hard to get here."

Earlier this year, Padma admitted that she feels "more confident" than ever.

The TV star is happier today than she was at the height of her modelling career - despite "not being as thin" as she once was.

Padma told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: "I'm more confident now, physically and otherwise. And I would never go back to my 20s, even if it meant I had a body that was more fit and skinny and tight and and high in all the right places. You know, I look OK now!"