Nigella Lawson is the talk of the town after she was announced as Prue Leith's replacement on The Great British Bake Off on Monday. But behind the scenes, the TV chef, 66, has been busy raising her two children, who are now fully grown adults.
The Nigellissima star shares Cosima Thomasina, 32, and Bruno Paul, 29, with her late husband, John Diamond, who died from throat cancer in 2001. While Nigella has built a life in the spotlight, having risen to fame with her debut cookbook, How To Eat, before fronting Channel 4's Nigella Bites in 1999, her children enjoy life away from public view.
© Getty ImagesIn a 2019 interview with Australian Women's Weekly, Nigella explained: "I'm very protective of my children because they don't want attention, it's not their thing, and they didn't choose this life."
Nigella's perspective on raising kids with money
Though her children don't make public appearances with their mother, the Nigella Express star has spoken about them in interviews. In 2008, while married to the multi-millionaire art collector Charles Saatchi (whom she divorced in 2013 after 10 years of marriage), Nigella opened up about what she hopes her kids have learned from her.
© Getty"To know that I am working and that you have to work in order to earn money. I am determined that my children should have no financial security," she revealed, adding: "It ruins people not having to earn money. I argue with my husband, Charles, because he believes that you should be able to leave money to your children. I think we'll have to agree to disagree." In 2021, The Express reported that Nigella was worth an estimated £14.6 million.
She later clarified: "I have always said of my children that once they have finished university or training, whatever education they choose, they have to support themselves through work, as I did, but I have never discussed the details of my will with anyone."
Nigella's honesty with her children
Authenticity has long been a defining quality of Nigella's relationship with her children. Speaking to The Mirror in 2022, Nigella admitted: "I have been forced to be guarded. I used to be more open and I'd like to think I will be again.
© Getty Images"Cosima said to me, 'Mum, would you rather be a real person like you or someone who has hair and make-up done to go to the supermarket? It is better to be a real person'. She's right."
© GettyThough little is known about Cosima's adult life, she reportedly goes by 'Mimi' and was educated at the £16,500-a-year Latymer Upper School in west London. As a child, she would spend time in the kitchen with her mother. Nigella told Today's Parent in 2013: "My idea of having a lovely time is a child sitting, talking to me while I cook. That’s probably how they learn to cook."
Nigella's children are now fully grown, and we can assume, no longer live with her. The new Bake Off judge lives in a £5 million pad in Chelsea, which was converted from a set of stables.
