Nigella Lawson a 'habitual criminal,' junkie

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson was accused of being a habitual junkie and criminal who allowed two sisters to steal nearly half a million dollars from her estranged husband in exchange for staying quiet about her drug habit.

Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, former assistants to Lawson, accused her of having a major appetite for cocaine, marijuana and pills, getting high on a daily basis for a decade, while married to Charles Saatchi. The sisters, accused of theft, said Lawson allowed them to steal $480,000 from Saatchi, so long as they said nothing about the drugs.

London Judge Robin Jackson ruled to allow lawyers to question Lawson about her alleged drug use, which the 53-year-old foodie denies.

"The defendants' case is tat Nigella Lawson lied to her ex-husband about her drug use and the expenditure incurred by the defendants," said the Grillo sisters' lawyer, Anthony Metzer.

Lawson “was fearful of Mr. Saatchi’s reaction if he knew about the extent of the expenditure and drug use,” Metzer said. “There was a culture of secrecy within Nigella Lawson’s marriage.”

Prosecutor Jane Carpenter, however, said the Grillos' thefts began long before the alleged drug use.

[New York Daily News]