14 DAY TRIAL // When British celebrity TV chef Nigella Lawson was denied entry in the US because of her admitted drug abuse, the entire media and public jumped up, claiming that it wasn't a good enough reason. According to reports, the “Domestic Goddess” was denied boarding on a first-class flight from London to Los Angeles.
As the news made it into the British press, the Americans also picked up on it and it was immediately linked with her past admission of doing drugs in a lawsuit last year that was set to determine if her personal assistants had stolen funds from Saatchi's account for personal gains.
This isn't the first time that US officials have denied visa to celebrities that have been linked to drugs, the most famous ones being the British model Kate Moss or the late singer Amy Winehouse.
Now, Page Six is claiming that the entire deal could be stemming from Lawson's very bitter ex-husband, businessman Charles Saatchi. They say that the tycoon has the right connections to pull off such a stunt thanks to his family connection to the Obama administration and the current US Ambassador in London, Matthew Barzun.
They go on to elaborate how Saatchi is connected to important people in the US that could have influenced the decision to deny Lawson her visa. They also quote a source that “speculates.”
As per the source, “We don’t know that Saatchi was behind this Machiavellian move, but he certainly has the means and the contacts to do it. Nigella’s friends cannot understand why she was specifically targeted, unless somebody, like her ex-husband, had tipped off the US authorities. She believes Saatchi wants to destroy her.”
Lawson was on her way to the US because of her judge duties on the ABC show “The Taste,” but it seems she will have to postpone or cancel on those duties as she can't travel to America just yet.
Back when she was still on trial, Nigella did mention in court that she believed Saatchi was on a campaign to “ruin [her] in any way.” Although she admitted to snorting cocaine, she also mentioned that her ex-husband was spreading false rumors about her around town to hurt her reputation.
Following her denial to get on the Los Angeles flight, Nigella was invited to the American Embassy in London to apply for a visa, something that British citizens need to have in order to be able to work in the States.