Assistants ‘had deal’ to hide Nigella’s ‘coke habit’
By Julia MarshNovember 29, 2013 | 1:23am
MEAL TICKET: Nigella Lawson was said to have had an “understanding” with her aides that they could use her hubby’s credit cards as long as they kept quiet about her drug use.Photo: AP
Two personal assistants to celebrity chef Nigella Lawson told a London jury Thursday that they were served some incredibly tasty perks in return for keeping their mouths shut about her ugly drug secrets.
The assistants — sisters Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo — are on trial for fraud, and they admitted to the court that they used credit cards belonging to Lawson’s ex-husband, the art dealer Charles Saatchi, for shopping sprees that included:
- Spending $8,800 on creations by Italian designer Miu Miu.
- Dropping $4,300 at Prada.
- Buying a $3,700 Louis Vuitton handbag.
TRIAL: The Grillo sisters, Elisabetta (left) and Francesca arrive at court Thursday
But the siblings insisted they had a “tacit understanding” that they could use credit cards issued to Saatchi, a millionaire advertising mogul, to finance their fashion binges.
When the sisters weren’t out shopping for couture, they were swiping Saatchi’s cards for airfare on trips around Europe and the United States and for stays at luxury hotels like the Ritz in Paris and The Gansevoort in Manhattan.
One of the women allegedly charged Saatchi for 105 taxis in one month.
In return, they allegedly kept silent about Lawson’s supposed cocaine habit.
The receipts were cataloged by Saatchi’s accountant, Rahul Gajjar, who also testified Thursday at Isleworth Crown Court.
Gajjar read off a Top 50 list of the two assistants’ expensive transactions from 2008 to 2012.
Francesca spent $105,000 in June 2012 alone — an amount even more eye-popping when compared with her $45,000 annual salary, Gajjar testified.
In total, the Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo are accused of fraudulently spending more than $1 million of Saatchi’s money between 2008 and 2012.
Gajjar tipped his boss off that the assistants were blowing through his dough after noticing one of the women had used Saatchi’s car service to ferry her to a polo match.
Apparently feeling entitled by their “implicit’’ deal, Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo allegedly whined when Saatchi took away a coveted Soho House membership, complaining it had been a gift from Lawson.
And when Saatchi offered a repayment plan to the assistants, they claimed that would be treating them “worse than Filipino slaves,” Gajjar testified.
Elisabetta is 41. Francesca is 35.
Saatchi, 70, is expected to take the stand Friday to testify about his rocky marriage to the 53-year-old Lawson.
Last spring, he was photographed grabbing her throat at a London restaurant.
A lawyer representing Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo has told the court that Saatchi was just trying to discourage Lawson from using drugs.
The defense is expected to grill Saatchi about his former wife’s alleged drug habit.
In an e-mail from Saatchi, read by the judge, the former husband referred to Lawson as “Higella” over the supposed drug abuse.
The allegations have threatened the second season of Nigella’s ABC show, “The Taste,” insiders say.
Meanwhile, the British chef celebrated Thanksgiving on Twitter, posting a link to her recipe for butternut squash with pecans and blue cheese.
Earlier, she posted another for a “holiday hotcake with eggnog cream” as a “show of thanks” for support she received from fans.
She is expected to testify in the coming weeks
Saatchi is believed to share a fortune of more than $220,000,000 with his brother, Maurice, the Times of London reported. Most of it comes from their ad businesses, Saatchi & Saatchi and M&B Saatchi.
Charles also owns a gallery in London and was an early supporter of British artists including Damien Hurst.
The paper said Lawson is worth an estimated $24.5 million.
Source
