Nigella Lawson may be banned from entering the US, but there is one other country at the other end of the map that is willing to have the celebrity chef on board. According to Yahoo , Nigella has been granted a special visa and is now currently allowed to enter New Zealand.
In an interview, Immigration New Zealand said that Lawson needed to have a special visa because she was not allowed to step on US soil, meaning, she is required to have special permissions to work in New Zealand.
In their statement, Immigration New Zealand elaborated on Nigella Lawson’s case:
“As Ms Lawson has been excluded from another country, namely the United States, she was ineligible to be granted a visa to enter New Zealand unless given a special direction”
“A special direction was considered and granted and subsequently her visa application was approved.”
The celebrity chef is currently in New Zealand to shoot a commercial for a known chocolate company.
Lawson, 54, admitted last year in a court case that she had been a regular user of cocaine and cannabis.
Lawson’s friends and the British media allege that her ban from the US is a result of her admittance to drug use.
People close to Nigella also blame Charles Saatchi, Nigella’s ex-husband, who reportedly had a bitter relationship with the “domestic goddess”. Earlier this year, the art loving Saatchi accused Lawson o f cheating with him behind John Diamond , who was Nigella’s husband until 2001, when he died of cancer.
They believe Saatchi may have tipped of US officials regarding her drug abuse . Saatchi reportedly had close ties with the US Ambassador in London. However, US authorities have neither confirmed nor denied if Lawson’s ban was a result of her confession to drug use.
During a court hearing last year, Saatchi’s email was read before the judge:
“You Nigella, on the other hand poisoned your children with drugs and trashed their lives. But I’m sure it was all great fun and now everything is perfect – bravo, you have become a celebrity hostess on a global TV game show. And you have got the pass you desired, free to heartily enjoy all the drugs you want forever. Classy!”
Lawson did not face prosecution, despite her confession to using cocaine and marijuana. According to sources, Lawson was accused last year of using illegal substances in front of her daughter .
[Image from Bing]
