27 November,2013 05:35 AM IST | | Agencies
Lawson used cocaine, cannabis and prescription pills "daily" for more than a decade but kept it secret from Saatchi, because she knew he would "not have condoned" her behaviour, it is alleged.
Nigella Lawson
The court was also told Lawson had a verbal understanding with the two Italian "kitchen confidantes" that they could use Saatchi's company credit card for their personal use in return for an "understanding" that they would keep quiet about her drug use, it is claimed.
Italians Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo are due to go on trial accused of committing a £300,000 fraud while working as personal assistants to the couple.
They are accused of using company credit cards on luxuries, including designer clothes and first-class air travel. Judge RobinJohnson read out an e-mail sent from Saatchi to his former wife.
It read: "Of course, now the Grillos will get off on the basis that you (and) Mimi were so off your heads on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes I believe every word they have said."
The e-mail had been sent on October 10 and the reference to Mimi was their 19-year-old daughter Cosima.Asked by the police to explain what he meant, Saatchi said, "At the time of sending that e-mail I was completely astounded by the alleged scale of drug use set out in the statement. Nevertheless, I did believe the allegations and that's what I'm referring to in the e-mail."
Earlier this year, Lawson applied to divorce Saatchi on the grounds of his continuing unreasonable behaviour. The pair broke up after pictures were published in June showing Saatchi holding his wife by the throat. u00a0
