Nigella Lawson 'barred from flight to the US following drug admission'

Nigella Lawson has reportedly been prevented from boarding a flight to the US, after admitting to drug use in a trial against two former aides last year.

According to the Daily Mail, the celebrity chef was due to fly from Heathrow to Los Angeles on Sunday (March 30), but was stopped at the boarding gate.

The 54-year-old had tweeted on Sunday that she was preparing for a holiday, posting a photo showing a sunhat, a tube of Colman's mustard and a packet of Maldon's sea salt.

It is claimed that Lawson had registered online for permission to travel to the US beforehand, confirming that she has never been arrested or convicted of drug-related offences.

In January, the Metropolitan Police stated that Lawson would face no action over her past drug use.

However, US authorities are thought to have banned the airliner from allowing Lawson to travel to the country, as they can choose to bar certain visitors on drug offences, even if they have not been arrested or charged.

Representatives for Lawson had no comment on the claims.

Packing for my holiday! #essentials pic.twitter.com/ijhONMs5MY

— Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) March 30, 2014

Eyewitnesses claim that Lawson was alone, and made it through check-in and security checks problem-free.

The mother of two is expected to appeal the alleged ban, but the process can take several months.

Lawson's former assistants Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo claimed in court last November that the chef was a "habitual" user of cocaine.

When giving evidence, Lawson admitted that she had previously taken cocaine, as well as infrequently using cannabis in the final year of her marriage to art dealer Charles Saatchi.

However, she denied allegations that she was a habitual user of recreational drugs, telling the court: "The idea that I'm a drug addict or a habitual user of cocaine is ridiculous. I don't have a drug problem, I have a life problem."

On December 20, the Grillo sisters were found not guilty of defrauding Lawson's ex-husband Charles Saatchi of £685,000 through unauthorised credit card and taxi spending.

Lawson gave her first live broadcast interview following the trial in the US, speaking to Good Morning America on January 2.