Nigella Lawson’s goals and inspiration

1. How did Nigella Lawson get started in the food business? Nigella got her start working ​as a journalist​. At the age of 23, she landed a job writing book reviews for The Spectator. She eventually moved to the Times of London, where she rose to become the deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times. However, she was not interested in getting into management-level work; she preferred to do creative work. That’s why she became a freelance writer, focusing on, you guessed it, food and other lifestyle issues.

2. Nigella never trained as a professional chef. In fact, she has often said that she doesn’t like being called a celebrity chef at all. She has described herself as a “kitchen klutz” because, she says, she’s just not naturally organized or graceful in the kitchen! For her, cooking is something she does for her family and her loved ones. Her philosophy is that food is something to be shared among those you’re closest to. Cooking is an act of love. That’s what Nigella was trying to get at when she wrote “How to be a domestic goddess,” a cookbook which focuses on creating a warm, loving atmosphere and, of course, on exquisite baked goods. Nigella Lawson’s own family In 1986, ​Nigella married​ the journalist John Diamond. The two met when they both worked for the Times of London, and were, by all accounts, a very happy couple. They were together until Diamond’s untimely death, from throat cancer, in 2001. Diamond’s last words were spoken about his beloved wife. “How proud I am of you and what you have become,” he told her. The couple had two children: a daughter, Cosima, and a son, Bruno. Several years later, the widowed Nigella fell in love with Charles Saatchi, a wealthy international art dealer. That marriage involved a lot of turmoil. Nigella ​accused Saatchi​ of emotionally abusing her; she said that he was controlling and that he subjected her to “intimate terrorism.” The couple eventually got divorced.