Nigella Lawson PAs spent '£685,000 living the high-life'

Video report by Nina Nannar

Two personal assistants to Nigella Lawson and her former husband Charles Saatchi allegedly used a company credit card to spend more than £685,000 living the "high-life", a court heard.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Jane Carpenter told jurors that Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, who both deny a count of fraud, went on a "four-year spending spree".

Ms Carpenter said the sisters were "employed to ensure the smooth running of Miss Lawson and Mr Saatchi's household", with duties that included looking after their children, even sometimes going on holiday alone with the youngsters.

They lived rent-free, with Elisabetta, 41, paid £25,000 a year and Francesca, 35, £28,000.

Miss Lawson, who employed the sisters before her marriage to Saatchi, "acknowleged that they were extremely close to her family", Ms Carpenter added.

Both were given credit cards to buy items for the household and family members with the balance paid off each month by direct debit without being closely scrutinised and an understanding that they would not use it for themselves.

Ms Carpenter said this was often the arrangement for staff.

The court heard that Francesca Grillo spent the most money on the credit card, which was registered to Conarco Partnership - one of Mr Saatchi's companies.

She was estimated to have used it to buy goods for herself worth in excess of £580,000 while her older sister's total spend was estimated to be around £105,000.

Ms Carpenter added that Mr Saatchi commented that if Francesa Grillo had been allowed to spend that much money on herself, she would have been paid more than the highest paid employee in any of his companies.