In case you are not familiar with her, Nigella Lawson is a British celebrity chef and the daughter of Conservative politician Nigel Lawson and Vanessa Salmon, a socialite and member of the family who co-owned the Lyons Corner House empire.
I think her decision is very wise. Trust fund kids usually turn to parties, drugs, drink, sex etc. to fill their time. Just look at Paris Hilton. Its better that Nigella’s kids work to earn a living than be set for life. Her decision takes a great deal of courage in today’s world!
I won’t be leaving my children a penny, says Nigella Lawson
As the daughter of a former Conservative chancellor, Nigella Lawson knows a thing or two about privileged upbringing.
But when it comes to raising her own children, the celebrity chef clearly believes in tough love.
She shares an estimated wealth of more than £110million with her husband, the marketing guru Charles Saatchi, and has a £7million London home.
However, Miss Lawson says she will leave none of it to her offspring.
It is not a decision with which her husband agrees.
Mr Saatchi, 64, is adamant that the children should be allowed to inherit the couple’s wealth – and the subject causes more than a little discord between them, according to Miss Lawson.
Mr Saatchi has one daughter, 12-year-old Phoebe from his first marriage.
Miss Lawson, 48, has two children, 13-year-old daughter Cosima and son Bruno, 11, from her marriage to the late journalist John Diamond.
Asked what she hoped the children would learn from her, Miss Lawson told the magazine My Weekly: “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. 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.”
Miss Lawson has not said what she would rather do with the couple’s fortune, although she has worked closely with cancer charities after her mother, sister and first husband died of the disease.
The daughter of Nigel Lawson and Vanessa Salmon, a socialite and heiress to the Lyons Corner House empire, Miss Lawson married Mr Saatchi soon after her first husband died.
She moved into his Belgravia mansion shortly afterwards.
In 1998, she became a household name with the publication of her first cookery book How To Eat.
Since then she has sold more than three million books, including How To Be A Domestic Goddess.
Her most recent cookery show, Nigella Express, drew up to 3.2million viewers an episode.
However, while other celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver learned their trade in restaurant kitchens, Miss Lawson took a more glamorous route.
She attended Oxford University, although, by her own admission-she failed at school, and was made a deputy editor at the Sunday Times newspaper at 26.
She then became a freelance writer and food critic.
She is no stranger to the luxury lifestyle. She favours Vivienne Westwood dresses, Taittinger champagne and celebrity beauticians.
In 1995, Miss Lawson was sacked from presenting a show on Talk Radio for being at odds with the show’s “common touch” after revealing she employed people to do her shopping.
Mr Saatchi is one of the country’s richest men. He and his brother Maurice set up their first advertising company in 1976, then set up the marketing company, M&C Saatchi in 1995.
It is believed that Charles is worth at least £100million. The brothers are said to be worth £231million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, which includes Charles’s multi-million pound modern art collection.
Miss Lawson is thought to be worth about £15million.
