The 51-year-old Top Chef host, who was married to Rushdie from 2004 until they divorced in 2007, also hoped he would have a “speedy recovery” from the attack. Her tweet followed the news that Rushdie had been taken off the ventilator and was able to say a few words, although he remains in a critical condition. Sigh of relief: Salman Rushdie’s ex-wife Padma Lakshmi wrote on Sunday that she was “relieved” following reports that he was recovering from the brutal attack on him on Friday. appeared in May in Hollywood “Relieved @SalmanRushdie is making it after Friday’s nightmare,” Lakshmi tweeted on Sunday morning. “Anxious and speechless, he can finally breathe his last. Now I am hoping for a quick cure. “Rushdi was stabbed on Friday as he was about to give a lecture at a literary festival. The author’s 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which reimagines parts of the Prophet Muhammad’s life, led Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa – a death sentence – against Rushdie. His attacker, Hadi Matar, 24, is a supporter of the Iranian regime. Best wishes: Lakshmi said she was ‘concerned and speechless’ but ‘hoping for a speedy recovery’ Improvement: Rushdie was reportedly able to turn off his respirator and was able to say a few words. His liver was damaged and nerves in his arm were severed in the attack. He may also lose an eye. appeared in 2006 Although Lakshmi was polite in her tweet, she and Rushdie had previously disparaged each other in their memoirs. Rushdie accused Lakshmi of “grandiose narcissism”, while Lakshmi wrote that her ex-husband required constant praise, feeding and attention, not to mention “frequent sex”. The Top Chef host was spotted grabbing lunch at Il Posto Accanto restaurant in the East Village with her beloved Chihuahua by her side on Saturday afternoon. While Lakshmi was out to eat, the man suspected of attacking her ex-husband, 75, during a speech on Friday was having his first day in court. Rushdie’s son, Zafar Rushdie, 42, offered a hopeful update on his father’s condition on Sunday. Although he clarified that the author was still in a critical condition and had “life-changing injuries”, he was relieved that Rushdie’s “usual terrific and defiant sense of humor remains intact”. Zafar included thanks for the members of the public who fought off his father’s assault and the first responders who treated him quickly. Change of tone: The former couple, pictured in February 2006, were married from 2004 to 2007. They were not kind to each other in the subsequent memoir Positive update: Rushdie’s son Zafar Rushdie, 42, offered a hopeful update on his father’s condition on Sunday Matar pleaded not guilty, through his lawyer, to the charges of attempted murder and assault and refused bail. The suspect, a New Jersey resident, is accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses (1988) sparked death threats, just as he was being introduced to a lecture at the Chautauqua Institute, a nonprofit training and retreat center . He was about to give a lecture when a masked knifeman stormed the stage and attacked him. In a three-minute video clip shared by one of the attendees, people could be heard screaming and gasping as a dozen members of the audience, including a police officer, rushed to the scene and chased the assailant away from the author. A chair and a screen were left splattered with blood after the frenzied attack. Sir Salman remains on a hospital ventilator after suffering liver damage and severed nerves in his arm in the brutal knife attack on Friday morning. His spokesman said he is also likely to lose an eye. Scary: Dozens of onlookers rushed to the scene to try to arrest the suspect and help Rushdie after he was attacked in front of hundreds Help: People rushed to help the author after the attack, with the attacker held back by witnesses. The motive for the stabbing is currently unknown Quick response: Doctors rushed to the scene to take the writer to the hospital to treat his injuries. A spokesman for the Chautauqua Institute, where the event was taking place, said: “We are dealing with an emergency situation. I can’t share more details at this time”
