The women who cracked the perfect shell of Nigella Lawson's reputation have spoken out for the first time since their acquittal of fraud charges relating to their time in the Saatchi and Lawson household.
The Grillo sisters, Elisabetta and Francesca, spoke to 'This Morning', when they expressed their regret that the popular TV chef had had to admit to drug use, but that it wasn't their fault.
The Grillos' statements were the cause of much speculation about the homelife of Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi
Elisabetta said, "I feel sorry that we ended up in that situation, that she did admit to that. But no, not guilty, because it was nothing to do with me, it's her life."
Francesca added, "It was our freedom. We were in court not because of her drug use or because we wanted her to be punished. In admitting it I think she was very brave to do so, good for her for doing so. But I didn't feel guilty."
And the sisters were sorry, too, that the case had ever come to court, with everyone's affairs being made public.
Francesca said: "I felt sorry for all of us involved. We shouldn't have reached that. But unfortunately you are in a position where your freedom is at stake so you have to tell your side of the story and whatever you think is relevant to the case, so it's a bit of a pity that we ended up in there to be honest. I wish it didn't happen, but I had to think about my freedom and that was it."
Explaining their thoughts on the whole "unfortunate affair", Elisabetta said, "There are no winners in this situation. All of us lost something."
Francesca added, "It's mortifying for her, it's mortifying for us, it's mortifying for everybody involved."
The Grillos are convinced that Nigella's reputation will survive the debacle
Nigella is back on TV tonight, with her new series 'The Taste' and, despite their legal wrangles, the Grillos are convinced that Nigella's reputation will survive.
Francesca said, "I think maybe we won the case but definitely she had the most support from the public. She is well loved and she will always be loved. I'm sure she will be fine. She's great at what she's doing and I wish her all the best."
Will they ever all be friends again? The sisters think not.
Francesca said, "To use an analogy, it's like a broken mirror - you can glue it back together but you see all the cracks."