Lawson alleges regular historic cocaine use at Saatchi & Saatchi
Nigella Lawson alleged in court that there was regular cocaine use at Saachi & Saatchi while her former husband Charles Saatchi was in charge.
Going on the offensive Lawson further alleged that, during his time as head of Saatchi & Saatchi, "they brought in a big sack of cocaine every Friday”, which others took.
She also conceded that she had snorted cocaine on multiple occasions and taken cannabis ‘with or in front of’ her children whilst giving evidence in court over alleged fraud committed by her aides – but claims she was driven to drug use by the intolerable behaviour of Saatchi.
Under cross-examination Lawson said: “I have never been a drug addict, I have never been a habitual user. There were two times in my life when I used cocaine. One time was when my husband’s cancer was terminal and he was introduced to it, thinking it would help, and I did on maybe six occasions join in with him.
“There was another time I took cocaine, in July of 2010. I was having a very, very difficult time. I felt subjected to acts of intimate terrorism by Mr Saatchi. I felt totally ashamed, isolated and in fear and just unhappy. A friend of mine offered me some cocaine and I took it. It completely spooked me … I didn’t have a drug problem, I had a life problem, and I needed to deal with it and went to a therapist.”
Separately Lawson recounted her side of the infamous throat grabbing incident at the hands of her former husband Charles Saatchi for the first time. The celebrity chef claims Saatchi became angry after she cooed at a nearby baby, prompting the advertising guru to say: “I’m the only person you should be concerned with’.
Painting an unflattering picture of Saatchi, Lawson went on to state in court: “He [Charles Saatchi] told everyone that he was taking cocaine out of my nose.
"But what actually happened was that somebody walked by with a very cute baby in a stroller and I said 'I am so looking forward to having grandchildren', and he grabbed me by the throat and said 'I am the only person you should be concerned with. I am the only person who should be giving you pleasure'.
"That is what happened."
Nigella was in court to give evidence against former PAs Francesca Grillo and her sister Elisabetta who are accused of defrauding the former celebrity couple of hundreds of thousands of pounds.