Beloved British food writer and television personality, Nigella Lawson, is best known for her relaxed approach to home cooking. Her amazing cooking shows and indulgent recipes have encouraged people all around the globe to find joy in food. The culinary icon’s iconic ‘microwave’ pronunciation is still the internet’s meme favourite.
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Nigella originally made her mark as a journalist before launching her food writing career with her first book, How to Eat in 1998. Her approachable style and sensuous enjoyment of food have made her the ‘Domestic Goddess’ since her TV debut in 1999 with Nigella Bites.
Though her public persona is calm and composed, the 64-year-old’s personal life, especially her love life, has seen its share of heartbreak.
Nigella Lawson and her two husbands
Nigella has been married twice and both husbands were notable in their fields. She first married journalist John Diamond and later to the wealthy art tycoon Charles Saatchi. While Diamond was her biggest supporter and helped launch her career in food writing, her marriage with Saatchi was tumultuous and ended publicly after allegations of abuse. Let’s take a look at her marriages one by one.
First husband and love of her life - John Diamond
Nigella Lawson met her first husband, John Diamond while working at The Sunday Times in the late 1980s when she was just 26 years old. At the time, she was building her career as a journalist, following an Oxford education and some early work at The Spectator. Diamond was known for his witty columns and his outspoken personality, which balanced Nigella’s quieter, introspective nature. Before working with The Sunday Times, Diamond had explored many other professions such as - working as a solicitor's clerk, teaching drama at a girl's school, and writing columns about property business, reports Mashed.
Nigella once said in an interview that Diamond helped her overcome her insecurities:
He had this sense of ease in himself, and that made the air around him comfortable.
Eventually, Nigella and Diamond’s romance grew from just a work relationship, and in 1992, they married in Venice, reports Mirror. They had two children together—Cosima and Bruno.
As their relationship developed, Diamond recognised her talent and encouraged Nigella to channel her passion for cooking into a professional venture. She previously said:
I was a journalist - not a food journalist, but I did do quite a bit of cooking. As a consequence, I cooked for editors quite a bit. John, my late husband, said to me, 'You always talk about food in this really confident way. You should write about it!' So I did.
She was initially hesitant but ultimately took his advice and published How to Eat in 1998. The book’s success eventually paved the way for her television career. Nigella often credits Diamond for pushing her into food writing.
Their marriage was marked by love and laughter, but also by great tragedy. Diamond was diagnosed with throat cancer when he was 43 years old. The news came as a shock to the writer and commentator whose career revolved around his voice. As his illness progressed, he lost the ability to speak and Nigella had to serve as his translator.
Even as his health declined, Diamond remained a source of strength for Nigella. Before his tragic death at 47, he reportedly told her:
How proud I am of you and what you have become. The great thing about us is that we have made us who we are.
Nigella was devastated by Diamond’s death and later shared that she suffered depression after losing the love of her life, according to NowToLove. After a two-week break from work, she returned to work and said:
I took a fortnight off. But I’m not a great believer in breaks. I don't want to be rattling around inside my own head.
Filming keeps me busy. It absorbs me. Of course, it is displacing certain thoughts but, in a way, I don't think grieving should be your full-time job. That seems a rather modern idea. To act as if you don't have a life is probably not sensible, especially when you have children.
Her Second Marriage to Charles Saatchi
Not long after Diamond’s death, Nigella found companionship in Charles Saatchi—a well-known art collector and advertising tycoon. She moved in with Saatchi weeks after Diamond’s death causing a massive scandal. Reportedly, Saatchi was a friend of Diamond's and it was understood he ‘didn’t mind’ him getting together with Nigella.
Nigella and Saatchi connected over shared interests and she appreciated his ‘passionate energy’ and humour. The couple married in 2003 and appeared to have a stable marriage initially.
Saatchi was a notoriously private figure and a friend described him as ‘dominating, demanding, irresistible.’ He had a controlling side that clashed with Nigella’s more public lifestyle.
Despite a ‘happy marriage’ facade, rumours began surfacing that there was trouble in paradise. Their relationship hit a breaking point in June 2013 when photos emerged showing Saatchi with his hand around Nigella’s throat at a restaurant in London. The images shocked the public as Saatchi dismissed it as a ‘playful tiff.’ Following the backlash, he released a statement that read:
Even domestic goddesses sometimes have a bit of snot in their nose. I was trying to fish it out.
Adding:
I held Nigella's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasise my point. There was no grip. It was a playful tiff.
However, Nigella filed for a divorce within a month of the incident and later said:
He 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.
Their divorce was finalised quickly but their parting was far from smooth from Saatchi’s end. He accused Nigella of drug use which she vehemently denied. The trial became a highly publicised ordeal.
Is Nigella Lawson single?
Since her high-profile divorce, Nigella has continued to thrive professionally, releasing new books and television shows every now and then. However, she has kept her personal life extremely private. She has rarely spoken about her love life but in recent interviews hinted that she’s happy in her life. Refraining from answering whether she’s single, Nigella said:
I'm very happy not having to fill up my life going to things. I very much like having no public life. I'm very happy at last.
Read more:
Alison Hammond: All the men the TV host has dated over the years
Katie Price: Married 3 times and engaged 8, here are all the men the model has been with
Amanda Holden and all the men in her life, from Les Dennis to Chris Hughes and Neil Morrissey
Sources used:
Mashed: The Truth About Nigella Lawson's Ex-Husbands
Mirror: BBC Nigella Lawson's crushing love life from husband killed by cancer to Charles Saatchi divorce
NowToLove: Nigella Lawson’s complicated relationship history is full of heartbreak and resilience
