A London jury acquitted Nigella Lawson[1] ’s two personal assistants Friday of screwing the celebrity chef’s ex-husband out of over $1 million.
Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo had faced one count each of defrauding high-flying art dealer Charles Saatchi using his company credit card without approval.
LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
Charles Saatchi said on the stand that his high-profile divorce from Nigella Lawson had left him “heartbroken.”
RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON’S ASSISTANT AT FRAUD TRIAL: TOLD TO BUY ‘ANYTHING I WANTED’[2]
The Italian-born Grillo sisters countered they had approval to spend outrageous sums on designer clothes and luxury vacations provided they didn’t spill the beans about Lawson’s drug habit.
Sang Tan/AP
During the trial Nigella Lawson was forced to admit she’d used cocaine and marijuana.
The verdict, which came just before 1 p.m. London time, adds further damage to the “Domestic Goddess” author’s career. Her domestic life overshadowed the allegations of fraud, as a barrage of allegations portrayed her as "Highgella" -- a coked-up diva prone to erratic behavior.
RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON'S HOME HAD VISIBLE COCAINE 'AT LEAST EVERY THREE DAYS': EX-ASSISTANT[3]
Dan Dennison/Getty Images
The jury did not buy Nigella Lawson’s claim that they were entitled and greedy. Instead, the jury apparently believed the Grillos’ claim they were told they could spend outrageous sums on Saatchi’s dime provided they kept quiet about the cele chef’s drug habit.
ABC executives are deliberating whether it will invite Lawson to return as a judge for the next season of “The Taste” reality show.
She also was forced to admit to having used cocaine and marijuana — though she denied being a habitual user as the Grillo sisters claimed.
Lefteris Pitarakis/AP
The Italian-born sisters Elisabetta (right) and Francesca Grillo were acquitted Friday of fleecing Nigella Lawson’s ex-husband Charles Saatchi of over $1 million.
RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON TO BE INTERVIEWED BY OPRAH, COURT HEARS[4]
The former assistants even charged that Lawson wrote her best-selling cookbooks while coked-up.
It was revealed in court last week that Lawson had already signed on for an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey — likely in preparation for an attempt to rehabilitate her image.
RELATED: LAWSON'S CREDIT CARDS NEVER SCRUTINIZED: ACCOUNTANT[5]
Lawson and Saatchi's marriage fell apart in epic public fashion starting in July when the art dealer was photographed grabbing the star by the throat outside a London restaurant. Saatchi would later say in court he was just trying to make her "pay attention."
References
- ^ Nigella Lawson (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON’S ASSISTANT AT FRAUD TRIAL: TOLD TO BUY ‘ANYTHING I WANTED’ (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON'S HOME HAD VISIBLE COCAINE 'AT LEAST EVERY THREE DAYS': EX-ASSISTANT (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ RELATED: NIGELLA LAWSON TO BE INTERVIEWED BY OPRAH, COURT HEARS (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ RELATED: LAWSON'S CREDIT CARDS NEVER SCRUTINIZED: ACCOUNTANT (www.nydailynews.com)
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