Nigella Lawson: Accused of Writing Cook Books During Cocaine Binges

A jury in London was told that famed cook book writer Nigella Lawson took cocaine to help work through the night, The Telegragh reported Wednesday.

Francesca Grillo, a former housekeeper of Lawson, and her sister Elisabetta, are on trial for allegedly stealing from Lawson. They have been accused of using Lawson's credit cards for their own personal use without authorization. The ongoing trial has resulted in damaging charges being made against the famed cook. One of them is that Lawson needed stimulants to help write her cooking books.

Lawson previously admitted to using cocaine once, but Francesca claimed it was more rampant.

"At the beginning of 2012 there were a few episodes where she came down and she had white powder inside her nostril. A few times I ignored it but other times I told her and she said 'it's just make-up'. It was too white to be make-up," Francesca said.

Francesca added that Lawson found it easier to use drugs during the writing process as she would be up all night.

"She had a runny nose for a long period of time, and at a strange time, in the summer," Francesca said.

Francesca added that Lawson's behavior also changed because of the alleged drug use. According to the housekeeper, her former employer went from caring to losing that essence of herself.

"She had always been a caring, warm person but in the last few years she had started to be grumpy, moody, she had trouble sleeping," she said.