Nigella Lawson has recommended her long-time cooking competitor Martha Stewart’s new documentary to fans.
Taking to social media to share her support for Netflix’s Martha, which is currently streaming, Lawson, 64, urged her fans to check it out. “The Martha Stewart documentary on Netflix is utterly compelling, if you’re looking for something to watch this weekend,” Lawson wrote via X on Sunday, November 10.
Lawson’s support for Stewart, 83, comes after Lawson took a public swipe at her American cooking rival during a 2007 interview with Radio Times. The barb was sparked by Stewart originally labeling Lawson as “what’s her name who married the Saatchi” when Lawson’s star began rising in the U.S., per The Standard. (Lawson married Iraqi-British ad agency founder Charles Saatchi in 2003 and the pair divorced in 2013.)
Lawson’s Radio Times interview, which aired in August 2007, featured her now-famous quotes about Stewart. “I know her, and I suspect she has a soft spot for Charles,” Lawson told the outlet at the time. “I’m sorry that even though she’s so great and successful she has to disparage someone else. It’s not necessary, but everyone has his or her insecurities. You should try to keep them to yourself and behave in a confident way.”
At the time, multiple British tabloids reported on the interview, claiming that Lawson had suggested Stewart had feelings for Saatchi.
Neither parties addressed the reports at the time or in the years that followed.
Stewart’s documentary follows the ups and downs of the cooking mogul’s career, touching on her highly publicized 2004 arrest, in addition to an affair that her ex-husband, Andrew Stewart, allegedly never knew about. When asked about the affair in the documentary, Stewart was seen telling the cameras, “I don’t think Andy ever knew about that.”
As for Stewart’s arrest, the lifestyle queen was found guilty of felony charges of conspiracy to obstruct, and of making false statements to federal investigators. She was sentenced to a five-month stint and a two-year period of supervised release, departing jail in March 2005.
For Lawson’s part, the road to international success has proven a rollercoaster of its own. Lawson admitted to using cocaine during a 2013 court hearing that saw her take the stand to give testimony against Francesca and Elizabetta Grillo, who were charged with defrauding Saatchi. “I have never been a drug addict,” Lawson testified at Isleworth Crown Court in West London on December 4 that year. “I’ve never been a habitual user. There are two times in my life when I have used cocaine.”
Lawson also made headlines earlier that year when Saatchi was seen grabbing Lawson’s throat during a lunch in London. After Saatchi told the Daily Mail newspaper that he was disappointed Lawson failed to publicly defend him after the highly publicized argument, Saatchi announced that he was divorcing her.
