Nigella Lawson's assistants allege slave-like treatment

London: Nigella Lawson's former assistant Elisabetta Grillo has accused the TV chef and her ex-husband Charles Saatchi of treating her and sister Francesca like slaves.

Grillo, who is currently being tried for fraud along with her sister Francesca after spending around 685,000 pounds on a credit card belonging to the TV chef and her ex-husband Saatchi, allegedly made the claim after being confronted about her spending spree, a court heard.

According to Saatchi's finance director Rahul Gajjar the 41-year-old former employee became "agitated" when the art dealer outlined a contract for monthly repayments to be made by her and her sister, reported The Guardian.

The Italian siblings initially co-operated with Saatchi, who offered them the opportunity to continue working for the couple and live rent-free in Lawson's flat in Battersea, south west London, while they paid off their debt.

However, after being presented with the contract, which would require Grillo to pay 1,000 pounds-a-month and Francesca to pay 250 pounds-a-month, the sisters hit back, insisting Lawson, 53, had given them permission to spend as they pleased in exchange for their silence about her alleged drug abuse.

Advertisement

"After Charles' proposal, Lisa got quite agitated. They both weren't very happy," Gajjar told Isleworth Crown Court.

The court heard how Grillo spent, on average, 48,000 pounds a month, while her sister clocked up credit card bills of 28,000 pounds.

Advertisement

Gajjar revealed that the ex-assistant's bill for June 2012 totalled 64,336 pounds, which she spent on shopping trips to luxury fashion stores such as Miu Miu and Prada, flights to New York and stays in luxury hotels including the Ritz in Paris, France.