You remember that urban legend your parents spread, that if you ever got caught doing drugs, with drugs, around drugs or acknowledging their very existence, the boss of America (Uncle Sam, as we envisaged him) would find out and stop you from ever going to the good ol’ USA ever again?
Well, it seems like that myth has come true for Nigella Lawson, who wasn’t allowed to board a flight to Los Angeles after admitting last year in court that she had taken cocaine on a handful of occasions and smoked cannabis.
Even though Scotland Yard has stated it would not be pursuing any line of enquiry with regards to Nigella’s previous drug use, she was stopped at the boarding gate as she tried to board a plane at Heathrow on Sunday night.
* The Daily Mail* reports that eyewitnesses saw the TV chef being refused onto the flight, despite checking in her luggage and having her bags scanned (and going through the hassle of putting all her liquid toiletries put into a flimsy little baggy, ugh).
Apparently, the airline had been told by US authorities not to allow her on to the flight, as she wouldn’t be granted entry into California (where it’s legal for residents to possess small quantities of cannabis, just FYI).
US authorities can and will ban people from entering their territories if that person has a drug offence under their belt, even if they have never even been charged. Nigella can apply to have the ban lifted, but the process of doing so can take months.
Let’s hope for her sake that something gets sorted soon, because otherwise she’s at risk of not being able to film the US version of *The Taste. *Which is a darn-tootin’ sight more popular than its UK incarnation...
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Picture: Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.