ABC admits 'no decision made' over Nigella Lawson's TV show after US travel ban over cocaine use

Nigella Lawson's ban from the US could have a huge impact on the future of her ABC show, The Taste.

The curvaceous British TV chef, 54, who was refused entry to America because of her court confession that she took coke, has been a judge on the reality show for two seasons.

However, today, an ABC source told MailOnline: 'No decision has been made yet on whether or not the show will come back for a third season.  

'We finished production on season two ages ago and the finale episode aired in February.'

 

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Anguish: The past few days have clearly taken their toll as exhaustion was etched on Nigella Lawson's face as she stepped out of her London home this week after being banned from the US

 

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Anthony Bourdain, a former heroin addict who once admitted selling his prized record collection to buy drugs, is working with Nigella Lawson on The Taste

 

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Support: Nigella Lawson - seen here with co-star Ludo Lefebvre - has been given support from her Taste friends. ABC is still deciding whether to order season 3

 

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Fury: Nigella Lawson's Taste co-star Anthony Bourdain hits out at the US in her defence

And another source said: 'Nigella is obviously the big selling point for the show - she's a big draw - and if she's denied entry to the US and a visa to work here, then the future of the show is in doubt'.

Meanwhile, Nigella's co-star Anthony Bourdain today tweeted his support for the star, saying: 'I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions re: #Nigella travel. Unbelievable.'

The U.S. Embassy in London said today that Ms Lawson has now been invited to apply for a visa, but experts warned the star could face a drug test by U.S. doctors.

Season 2 of The Taste ended in February with 3.2 million viewers. And despite going up against NBC's Winter Olympics coverage, the show was up week to week by 7 per cent in total viewers - and up 14 per cent in women aged 18-34.

The ‘Domestic Goddess’ was forced to confess under oath during a trial last year that she had snorted cocaine seven times and smoked cannabis in front of her children.

When the Domestic Goddess made her return for season 2 of The Taste it was her big return to television screens following her very public divorce from Charles Saatchi.

She stars alongside French chef Ludo Lefebvre, cooking star Bourdain and Marcus Samuelsson on the show.

Ludo went on to reveal how he had grown 'very, very, very close' with Nigella, describing the mom-of-two as a 'great woman'.

He said it 'broke my heart' to see his co-star's ordeal during the trial of her former housekeepers who were cleared of fraud in December.

In an interview with The Times, Ludo described how he first saw Nigella on television when he moved to America in 1996, but they met for the first time last year.

The married chef, 42, said: 'We have become very, very, very close - we click right away.'

He went on to say seeing the court appearance 'broke my heart' before adding: 'Have you heard anything like this before? No. Because she is a great woman.'

His wife, lawyer Kristine Lefebvre, went on to say Nigella had described the French chef as 'a very good-looking younger brother'.

 

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Close: French chef Ludo Lefebvre, Nigella Lawson's Taste co-star said her court case against the Grillo sisters 'broke my heart' and called her a 'great woman'

 

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Saucy: Nigella was certainly flirty when it came to winning over contestants on the show, who were hoping to be picked by the panel of chefs

On The Taste, the judges must decide whether they want the cook based solely on the taste.
‘Food is never just food, it’s exquisite and it appeals to every sense,’ Nigella said. ‘It can change your life.’

The Daily Mail told how Nigella was stopped from boarding a flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles.

The brunette arrived alone at Heathrow’s Terminal Five on Sunday morning to catch a direct British Airways flight to LA.

She is thought to have checked in and passed security before being told she could not board her plane. She had to return to the first class check-in to arrange to collect her hold luggage.

‘She didn’t seem to say much, but she did not look happy,’ said an onlooker. ‘She could not get on the flight so she had to turn around and leave.’

Nigella is thought to have tried to enter the U.S. by registering online for permission to travel and confirming she had not been arrested or convicted of offences including taking illegal drugs. But the US can also decide to bar foreigners who have committed drugs offences without ever being charged. Would-be travellers can apply to have the ban lifted, but this can take months.

She wrote: wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday that she was ‘packing for my holiday’ – including a picture of a sun hat and some Colman’s mustard, adding: 'Off line for a while enjoying the ultimate; a holiday break with no signal! Will miss you all though. Know I will be eating on your behalf.'

 

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Culinary expert: The 54-year-old is a judge on talent show The Taste

 

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Nigella Lawson with her ex-husband Charles Saatchi. Although Scotland Yard did not act over her drug confession, the US authorities are taking a tougher stance

 

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Sisters Francesca (right) Grillo and Elisabetta Grillo. They were found not guilty of fraud

Nigella had to give evidence at the trial of her former housekeepers, Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, who were accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from her and ex-husband Charles Saatchi.

While insisting she had never been an addict or habitual user of drugs, she confirmed she had taken cocaine.

She said she needed the drugs to cope with the death of her first husband, John Diamond, and the ‘intimate terrorism’ of her second, Mr Saatchi.

The specific grounds on which she was barred entry to the US have not been confirmed. And it is not known if she was stopped at passport control or at the departure gate where passports are often scanned.

Today, a US embassy spokesman said: 'There are several ways of legally travelling into the United States and Ms Lawson has been invited to come to the embassy and apply for a visa for travel to the U.S.

'We understand she has professional requirements for US travel and these matters are generally handled routinely and expeditiously, so stand by.'

The spokesman said the embassy was unable to comment on the reasons that someone might be turned away.

 

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Miss Lawson wrote on Twitter that she was 'packing for my holiday' - including a picture of a sun hat and some Colman's mustard

 

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Last tweet: Nigella Lawson was clearly looking forward to her break

Airlines are required to supply U.S.security officials in advance with details about all passengers on flights to America so they can be screened against Washington’s ‘no fly list’ of suspects linked to terrorism.

The carriers must also check that passengers have a valid visa or other authorisation to enter the U.S. before they take off from the UK.  

Weeks after her cocaine confession, Nigella was allowed to fly into America on New Year’s Day to film a live interview promoting the second season of The Taste USA.

ABC had no official statement.