The Grillo case (AKA Nigella & Saatchi)

[BerylStreep]

So the last thread on the Grillo case is full.

I have taken the liberty of starting a new one here for people's thoughts as the case unfolds.

I am not a journalist, But journalists are not really known for their vigour in getting all facts straight and doing too many in depth articles any more.
Even our local paper rushes out stories with many inaccuracies.

The tomatoes are very nice. As are the almonds picked from trees growing wild.

A friend of ours has a lovely boutique hotel in Puglia that has benefited from Agroturismo, EU grants and undoubtedly the 'Ndrangheta.

There you go. It's the poorest place I've ever been to in western Europe apart from Marseille.

Poorer than the banlieu of Paris which TBF I didn't actually go to - I'm not that into poverty tourism .

I fairly recently went to Romania for one of DH's work trips. A suburb of Bucharest. It's a big country and I imagine that where we went was like Mayfair. I can see why people who can, want to come to western Europe.

None of which excuses defrauding your employer. Which the Grillos didn't do. Or trash her. But when looking at a jail term...

Even our local paper rushes out stories with many inaccuracies

Yes, they do golddigger. As one of the few journalists with vigour in getting her facts straight it keeps me awake at night.

What keeps you awake at night, btw?

limited. I find your style of posting confusing and defensive.
You seem to be in a constant defensive state. I have no idea why. Maybe you are like that in generall. Or has it got something to do with me? Have I upset you somewhere on mumsnet? Your name doesnt ring a bell with me. Should it?

Do you golddigger? How distressing for us both.

I'd like you to know that I'm going to try very hard to get over it and I advise you to do the same.

I might not manage it but I'd like you to know that I'm going to give it my very best shot.

oakie dokie. Good.

I am about to read the thread but has anyone else seen the Dominic Lawson take on this in the Sunday times? I don't generally like him but I found it interesting.

Assuming I'm recalling correctly, in that piece Dominic Lawson complained about the coverage in The Sun but said that if he'd worked for The Sun and had been responsible for the "story" (and presumably the target of the "story" wasn't his sister), he would have produced something similar.

Oh, I haven't downloaded the Sunday Times this week.

I was at the Grillo's father making judgements about people's characters, what with him being a convicted kidnapper who is a member of a crime organisation which produces cocaine.

I heard the Nigella drugs claims from a thread on here, before they were officially made.

Something was alluded to on a thread and I, and many other posters, asked for a PM and were sent one saying 'Nigella is a cokehead and takes drugs with her kids'. We all thought it was preposterous then and I still do.

That ridiculous Hillgrove PR blog was linked to. It looked like a hachet job. That was the blog that was sent to almost everyone in the media.

Do you think Hillgrove (Saatchi's alleged PR) used MN as a channel for spreading rumours? That's the conclusion I'm drawn to...

Why on earth didn't the Grillos say that NL and CS wanted to avoid paying tax, and therefore gave them in-kind benefits?

I strongly suspect that Saatchi gave the Grillos the drugs defense, and that they'll be receiving some kind of payoff from him.

I saw the Hillgrove blog as a result of a thread here, too. It wouldn't surprise me at all if a stooge were involved somewhere along the line.

MNHQ please feel free to delete if necessary.

I've never been a fan of Nigella, and hate all this "domestic goddess" crap, which makes me baulk. Ugh.

Regardless of that, I feel sorry for her - she's been through some tough losses of loved ones in the past. Saatchi sounds like an obsessive, obnoxious control freak. Horrible creature.

I do hope Hillgrove PR's other clients are made aware of the mad ranty emails stuffed full of highly libellous allegations they've been sending to the world and his wife.

Why would you use a PR agency with such bad judgement, that sends out vicious foaming-at-the-mouth rants that drive a coach and horses through the law? I got the emails and they weren't just pro-Saatchi or pro-Grillo, they were bizarre. And poorly-targetted - I'm not on a national, don't do crime or celebs.

Well we are having a very Nigella Christmas at chez Streep.

I have just made her cranberry sauce, have poached clementines to make clementine cake, and will be brining my turkey, a la Nigella.

I bought a small enough turkey to fit into my bucket just to brine him (her?)

I consulted Feast this morning when prepping my Christmas dinner (which we will eat this evening). I have always found Feast a very useful book, as I do How To Eat. It occurred to me when reading the recipes this morning that the reason I like those books is because it feels as if they were written by a real person. And it made me wonder whether in recent years whether Nigella Lawson, writer, mother and real living soul who cooks for her friends and family hasn't been subsumed by Nigella the brand and celebrity who performs for the camera and has a massive team of people living her life for her (including writing the recipes).

If so, that might explain rather a lot.

or maybe she has been subsumed by a controlling "brilliant but brutal" man............................now that would be emotionally depleting and exhausting - an would explain rather a lot.

Her team have been with her before CS was on the scene - it is more likely that their support (her rock) and her career outlet has enabled her unsustainable and toxic marriage to continue this long.

Post trial - key newspapers have come out to say that they were approached to conduct a smear campaign headed by CS - against NL - not the Grillos! Psychopathic characteristics.

So much easier to blame a man than a woman's own shortcomings.

She had no need to stay in her marriage if it wasn't doing anything for her.

Oh, Bonsoir.

Nigella's 'Feast' 'Christmas' and Rebecca Rather's Christmas cooking book are essential Christmas comfort reading for my daughter and I. Nigella likely drew inspiration from Rebecca Rather's book as I know she has more Texan Christmas food books than is probably good for her.

no need to blame anyone - it is fact that he did the PR smearing - read the newspapers - and as someone up thread said eloquently

"This sort of attitude shows a deep misunderstanding of toxic relationships. It doesn't matter if you label what's happening abuse, the person who feels under fire is exhausted with the stress of dealing with it all, their confidence is shattered, and they've been ground down into an endless cycle of drama, crisis-management and appeasement.
All too frequently, they feel hopelessly trapped (many bad relationships only seem to have an unlocked door from the outside). In some of these situations, leaving seems unimaginable – only marginally less difficult than escaping from Devil's Island. When people mock or disbelieve Lawson for "not just leaving, if it was so bad", they should realise that by extension they are mocking and disbelieving all women who find themselves stuck, not only in toxic relationships, but fully abusive ones, too"

Yes, why would anybody think twice about defying the completely reasonable Charles Saatchi? Clearly he is very much the 'no hard feelings, let be friends type'. In no way would he drag the lives of his and his ex-wife's children through the court in an effort to extract revenge - oh hang on...

He even exploited his OWN 16 year old daughter by approaching the press TWICE - to get her to say that NL was cold and had not been in contact since the split and had abandoned her and that NL was involved in illegal activities. Poor child - a puppet of that monster.

Hear hear merry mouse