[Saph]

Secrets threatening to destroy TV chef Nigella Lawson‘s career were heard in a court room on Tuesday, including allegations that she is a habitual cocaine and marijuana user.

Former assistants of the British chef claimed in a London court that Lawson, 53, used her ex-husband Charles Saatchi‘s money to lavish them with gifts and money in exchange for keeping quiet about her secret drug habit.

Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo have been charged with stealing $480,000 of Saatchi’s money and in their defense revealed that the money was part of an “understanding” they had with Lawson to keep mum about her “daily” abuse of cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills, The Telegraph reported.

Lawson’s use of the illicit drugs allegedly spanned more than 10 years.



Isleworth Crown Court in London heard an explosive email from Saatchi that he’d sent Lawson in which he said he believed “every word” of what the sisters said, and that he believed she authorized them spending his money because she was “off her head” on drugs.

“Of course now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you were so off your head on drugs you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked,” the judge read aloud.

“And yes I believe every word they have said.”

On Monday the court also heard the judge read a further statement from Saatchi: ”At the time of sending the email I was completely astonished by the alleged scale of the drug use set out in the statements. Nevertheless I did believe the allegations. I have been asked whether it referred to a belief that Nigella permitted the Grillos to spend whatever they liked. On reflection I was simply speculating the sisters would use this material to defend themselves.”

Elisabetta’s attorney, Anthony Metzer, told the court that Lawson “did not want him to know about her use, particularly of cocaine,” of her then-husband Saatchi. “Because the defendants were fully aware of her illicit drug use, she consented to their expenditure on the understanding there would be no disclosure to her husband of her drug usage.”

Lawson’s legal team called the drug allegations “totally scurrilous” and “untrue,” and said the timing of it their claims is “no coincidence at all” — referring to Lawson’s recent headlines of the choking incident and high-profile divorce from Saatchi.

And a letter the sisters wrote to Lawson and Saatchi after their August 2012 arrest was read in the court as evidence of their plot to allegedly frame Lawson with drug use.

“Dear Charles and Nigella, we are at our utmost despair and we are reaching out to you in the sincere hope that somewhere in your hearts you can find a way to forgive us. We truly believe we had a bond like a family, you were like, as you said to us, like our English family.

“All we want to do is put this right and make amends. We plead with you to find a way in your hearts to stop the fighting that’s destroying us. From the bottom of our hearts we extend an olive branch in the hope that you understand that we never meant to hurt you in anyway. Please forgive us and help us to put this right.”

However, the defense maintained their stance and the judge said, ”The defense asserts that Miss Lawson habitually took cocaine and did so on a daily basis – in addition to her abuse of prescription drugs – throughout the defendants’ time in the household.”

Apparently she spent over 100k on cocaine a month

[GiRTh]

This is bullsh*t. So many celebs have tried coke its hardly news. A non story IMO and I hope Nigella's career doesnt suffer much as a result of this.

Who has she p*ssed off why there have been so many negative stories about her lately?

[Shaun]

don't really care what she does with her money tbh

[joeysteele]

I find this whole case and how it is being reported a disgrace.

2 people employed by the couple are up for fraud, they are hardly mentioned in the news, it is all this 'alleged' drugtaking of Nigella.

So what, it didn't give them the right to steal from her and her husband at all and I find this very distasteful the way Nigella is being plastered over the front pages.
Whether she id or didn't,I couldn't care, she is a very talented and beautiful lady currently caught up in an ongoing divorce and at this time she deserves far better than this vile news reporting.

[Jake.]

She's still sexy

[james130]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

I find this whole case and how it is being reported a disgrace.

2 people employed by the couple are up for fraud, they are hardly mentioned in the news, it is all this 'alleged' drugtaking of Nigella.

So what, it didn't give them the right to steal from her and her husband at all and I find this very distasteful the way Nigella is being plastered over the front pages.
Whether she id or didn't,I couldn't care, she is a very talented and beautiful lady currently caught up in an ongoing divorce and at this time she deserves far better than this vile news reporting.

I agree.
For the last few nights it's been one of all the news programmes top stories. "Nigella allegely has a cocaine problem."
Yet, they seem to brush over the fact it's alleged and was reported by two people she is trying to prosecute. Of course they will do anything to blacken her name and so what if it's true. Report on the actual news which is the fact that these two workers stole tens of thousands of pounds from them.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by james130

I agree.
For the last few nights it's been one of all the news programmes top stories. "Nigella allegely has a cocaine problem."
Yet, they seem to brush over the fact it's alleged and was reported by two people she is trying to prosecute. Of course they will do anything to blacken her name and so what if it's true. Report on the actual news which is the fact that these two workers stole tens of thousands of pounds from them.

Exactly, really well said.

[Smithy]

looks like she'll be having cold turkey this xmas

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

This is bullsh*t. So many celebs have tried coke its hardly news. A non story IMO and I hope Nigella's career doesnt suffer much as a result of this.

Who has she p*ssed off why there have been so many negative stories about her lately?

She was apparently doing it every day for a decade, and let her and Charles' two servants (or whatever they were) spend as much as they wanted on his credit cards as long as they kept it secret from him

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Smithy

looks like she'll be having cold turkey this xmas

and she'll be finding that joke in her christmas crackers

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by MTVN

She was apparently doing it every day for a decade, and let her and Charles' two servants (or whatever they were) spend as much as they wanted on his credit cards as long as they kept it secret from him

Sounds like hundreds of celebs to me,

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

Sounds like hundreds of celebs to me,

Hundreds of celebs bribe their assistants with hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep their drug addictions secret from their husband?

(I don't know if she's actually guilty of that for definite or not, but hypothetically)

[Jake.]

Originally Posted by Shaun

and she'll be finding that joke in her christmas crackers

sit down Dustin...

[Livia]

You'd think Nigella was on trial. But she's not.

[Brother Leon]

Looks a mess in that pic so my superficial side of me doesn't care about her for now lol

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Hundreds of celebs bribe their assistants with hundreds of thousands of pounds to keep their drug addictions secret from their husband?

(I don't know if she's actually guilty of that for definite or not, but hypothetically)

No. Hundreds of celebs have done coke for ten years. That doesnt shock or disgust me.

[Z]

Wonder if those pictures of him choking her had anything to do with these revelations? Pure speculation but it would make a lot more sense than him just randomly attacking her in public for all to see, if he found out she'd let two employees spend half a million dollars of his money to keep quiet about her drug problem

[Samm]

Awww I used to like her

[Kizzy]

It's a bit shocking that drug use is seen as the 'norm' for celebs now... oh. it was only a bit of coke no biggy... pfft.
That said we do 't know if she did it might be a load of rubbish, she does look a bit shifty though. If it were totally untrue you would expect a bit of incredulity.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Livia

You'd think Nigella was on trial. But she's not.

That's my point too Livia, well said.

[the truth]

nigella has allegedly been on drugs , hard drugs for years and has allowed these people to spend over £1 million of her husbands cash on the hard drugs....that's illegal in several ways as well as immoral...I noticed too how skewed in her favour the bbc news coverage was....they even failed to mention it was alleged in court her daughter was encouraged to use drugs too.....either way what a disgraceful example she is to her daughter

[the truth]

Originally Posted by The baby Zeesus

Wonder if those pictures of him choking her had anything to do with these revelations? Pure speculation but it would make a lot more sense than him just randomly attacking her in public for all to see, if he found out she'd let two employees spend half a million dollars of his money to keep quiet about her drug problem

yes clearly she brought a cameraman with her to get her husband caught in the act, then deliberately provoked him by exposing some of her revolting behaviour , then snaped him to win the media war.....that's entrapment by any other name which is also illegal as is cocaine use, cover ups, even the use of £1 million mostly of her husband money on drugs is illegal

[Glenn.]

She did cocaine twice I believe?

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by the truth

yes clearly she brought a cameraman with her to get her husband caught in the act, then deliberately provoked him by exposing some of her revolting behaviour , then snaped him to win the media war.....that's entrapment by any other name which is also illegal as is cocaine use, cover ups, even the use of £1 million mostly of her husband money on drugs is illegal

So she made him choke her?....
Sorry but I don't believe that.

[Me. I Am Salman]

I feel sorry for Nigella she's getting such a hard time lately