lawson and ex-husband charles saatchi claimed a former assistant assistant embezzled more than $1 million. the two claimed they had a tas et understanding with the tv chef, allowing them to use her credit card as long as they kept quiet about allegations of cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs. lawson will testify during this two-week trial. she's due to host abc's show "the taste" in january. the courthouse behind me is bracing for another turn tomorrow when nigella lawson's former husband, charles saatchi, takes the stand to once and for all tell his side of the story. david? >> lama hasan from london, thank you. >>> look over my shoulder here this evening. this is the comet so many people were watching, the so-called comet of the century. thousands, in fact, tweeting about it on this thanksgiving. >> reporter: all eyes were trained on that comet today called ison, four and a half billion years old, traveling on its way to the sun. 1:37 eastern time. and that comet was expected to pass fewer than 737,000 miles from the sun's surface, slingshot around and head back out again. >> a o

it is an e-mail from charles saatchi september last month to nigella lawson. it was a personal e-mail. he says he was bereft that it became public but it came through her side. in this he writes to her, of course now the grillos will get off on the basis that you were so off your head on drugs, you allows the sisters to spend whatever they liked and yes, i believe every word that the grillos have said who after all only stole money and they're alleging that she had a drug habit, nigella lawson which went back for the whole ten years of the marriage and they hid it. she hid it from charles saatchi. >> all right. so max, you know, what about the trial itself? are we now likely to hear from nigella? >> we are expecting to hear from her during this trial. probably next week. we can't confirm exact details on that because we'll wait to see what happens on that. certainly lots of people want to hear her point of view. not just the people involved in the court case but around the world because obviously her reputation is this wholesome figure, a home making figure is

millionaire charles saatchi is now trying to clear his ex-wife's name in court. a sort of damage control. testifying in the trial against nigella's personal assistants, he said, i have never, ever seen any evidence of nigella taking any drugs whatsoever. the art collector claimed the opposite in an e-mail to nigella. calling her high-gella. saying she was so off her head in drugs, she didn't notice her assistants spending $1 million on themselves. outraged that the e-mail was read out in court, he said, it was an angry reaction. and a warning that the grillo sisters th s would use her alle drug use. >> i think the heart of this case really goes back to a dispute between an employee and employer. >> it's so easy. and yet, so perfect. >> reporter: known as the domestic goddess, the chef's marriage collapsed after these pictures were published last june. in his first public appearance since the photos, saatchi says he's brokenhearted and added, i was not gripping or throttling her. i was holding her by the neck to make her focus. abc news reached out to nigella, who

lawson and her husband, charles saatchi it's claimed embezzled more than $1 million. the two claim they had an understanding with the chef, allowing them to use their credit card as long as they kept quiet about allegations of cocaine, marijuana and drugs. she is due to host "the taste" in january. nigella's former husband takes the stand to once and for all tell his side of the story. david? >> lama hasan from london, thank you. >>> look over my shoulder here this evening. this is the comet so many were watching, the so called comet of the century. thousands in fact tweeting about it on this thanksgiving. >> reporter: all eyes were on that comet called ison. traveling on its way to the sun. 1:37 eastern time. that was expected to pass fewer than 737,000 miles from the sun's surface, sling shot around around head back again. scientists had been tracking it and hoping that by studying it would give them a snapshot of the atmosphere billions of years ago. >> we're going to find out about what the solar system was like. >> reporter: was it approached the sun today, tempe

an e-mail from lawson's billionaire ex-husband, charles saatchi, said that lawson was so high on drugs that she allowed their two personal assistants to spend whatever they wanted. those assistants are now on trial for spending nearly $500,000 of the couple's money on themselves. they say lawson used cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs daily during her ten-year marriage, a claim she denies. >>> less than two months after its debut, alec baldwin's new talk show, no more. msnbc suspended "up late with alec baldwin" for two weeks, after he used an anti-gay slur during a confrontation with a photographer. baldwin later posted an apology. but the network and the actor released a joint statement yesterday confirming that the show will not be returning. >>> a man from guatemala living in michigan has a lot to be thankful for right now. he is estuardo morales. he was paralyzed for five years. that was before coming to the u.s. just over a month ago. and now, he's gone from being confined to a wheelchair to standing and walking with the help of a walker. >> i've never seen anyone progress

and it was around the time of that photo coming out where you saw charles saatchi holding his hands to nigella lawson's neck, around this time he started hearing about the allegations. in october he wrote an e-mail to her and that was read out in court in the last hour or so. it's pretty dramatic. it was meant to be a private e-mail to her. he's bereft that it got leaked. this is what it said. nigella, i was sent these by a newspaper and i can only laugh at your sorry deprefty. these are the allegations from the sisters. of course, now the sisters will get off on the basis that you were so off your head on drugs that you loud the sisters to spend whatever they liked. and yes, i believe every word they said who, after all, only stole money. but i'm sure it was all great fun and everything was perfect. bra voe, you've become a celebrity hostess on a global tv show. free to hardly enjoy all the drugs you want forever. classy. he does say it was only meant for nigella to read and he does point out that he never saw her taking drugs. there's no hard evidence that she was taking drugs but he

so advertising mogul charles saatchi sent this private e-mail to nigel lal that became very public saying he believes everything these assistants were saying. they claim not only was nigella a daily cocaine user but that she let them spend a total of more than $1 million in return for keeping her secret. now so he clarifies he does not think at least that the last part of their story makes sense. >> charles saatchi in court forced to explain a single e-mail he sent his ex-wife last month writing to the domestic goddess. >> last minute suppers they don't worry me. >> calling her high gel la, he wrote. i col only laugh at your sorry depravity. you've become a celebrity hostess on a global tv game show and you got the pass free to enjoy all the drugs you want forever. he says had he just seen statements by the assistants in which they detailed what they called the drug culture in her household. after he spoke to staffers about it, he did believe nigella had a severe cocaine habit that stretched back a very long time. she took this and cannabis and shared it with her children for a very long

charles saatchi in court forced to explain a single e-mail he sent his ex-wife last month writing to the her. >> unexpected guests. last-minute surps donppers doin me. >> reporter: saying, quote. he says he had just seen statements by former personal assistants the sisters grillo he said was the drug culture in nigella's household and said after he spoke to people about it, he did believe nigella had a severe cocaine habit that stretched back a very long time. she took this this and cannabis and shared it with her children a long time and adding he has never seen any evidence that nigella was taking a drug whatsoever. they split up after these photos emerged after the couple argued at a london restaurant. they believe it was over this case. a million dollars in purchases allegedly for themselves on saatchi's credit cards they claim my jell la let them do it in return for keeping her drug use a secret. saatchi doesn't believe that a second calling the amount the sisters spend bewildering. so what alerted the family to this massive alleged fraud? a single taxi ride. it did come out in

saatchi, who in an angry e-mail to his former wife, described her as highgella. part of that e-mail which was read outloud by a drug in court said you were so off your head on drugs that you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked. and, yes, i believe every word they've said. >> this is half the squash. >> reporter: some speculated maybe a case of sour grapes. lawson and saatchi's marriage spoiled very publicly this summer after photographer captured this moment with his hands around her throat. and tuesday, suggested in court that incident had something to do with lawson's alleged drug use. >> if they were to later determine that the allegations were untrue, it kind of already taints the trial. >> reporter: a publicist for lawson told abc news, we can't comment, as the court proceedings are live. the prosecution calls the allegations. and they didn't make the allegations until a year after their arrest. lawson hosts the show, "the taste," which returns to abc on january. >>> we turn now to o.j. simpson, behind bars for up to 30 years for robbery and kid

saatchi on the stand today. back to you guys. >> shocking story there. thank you. >>> let's head back out to al along the parade route. >> "today"'s weather is brought to you by walmart, the first and only place to go on black friday. >> and we've got a beautiful morning here. a little on the breezy side but not breezy enough to keep those balloons from flying. they may bring them down a little bit but i think that will be the worst of it. let's show you what's going on as far as today is concerned. we are looking again at beautiful weather. but these temperatures, while they're chilly here, look at the warmth over the weekend will be spreading east from the west into the midwest and eventually making its way. then you see by next week colder is coming and we've got a big storm into the pacific northwest and plains. today, windy. a few lake-effect snow showers. chilly throughout the gulf coast into the southeast. let's bring in country star brett eldridge. may thanksgiving. >> how are you doing, my friend? >> i'

>> today, the big piece was getting charles saatchi on the stand to answer these allegations that he put into an e-mail about his ex-wife's use of drugs. he accused her of being on a long drug binge and said that the grio sisters were going to get off because of her pattern of drug use. >> do you think they are going to buy this, her ex-husband saying no, never mind? >> first of all, there is no evidence she engaged in any drug use. second, it is not even relevant in the case. i don't think this case belongs in a criminal court. i think it is a private dispute. i think in a civil court, hands down, the sisters would win, because for four years, they were on a spending spree, yet mr. saatchi failed to look at his credit card statements. he had a finance director that knew about all this spending and didn't bring it to his attention because he thought it was a trivial matter. i find this really hard to believe, that this case is even in criminal court. >> should this case even be moving forward? next step? >> i don't think it is. if you look at the evidence, he is absolutely right. you

allegations coming via this man, charles saatchi. the couple split in the summer after photographs emerged of sachi's hands around his wife's husband. he said it was around this time that he first heard about the alleged drug use. asked about this incident in court, sachi said i wasn't grippaling strangling or throttling her. i was holding her around the nok make her focused. when it had anything to do with the alleged drug abuse, he said no. >> give them room, please. >> reporter: firmly in the spotlight, sachi entered the courthouse on friday morning, greeted by flash of light bulbs and camera crews. as he testified against two italian sisters that used to work for his wife francesca and elizabeth grillo. they allegedly used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle of five-star travel and shopping. the sisters denied these charges and responded of lawson of hiding a long-term drug habit from her husband. an e-mail he wrote to lawson on october 10th was read out. of course now the grillos will get off on the basis that you were so off t