Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson 'barred from U.S.' after admitting to cocaine use

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has reportedly been barred from entering the US following her courtroom admission that she had taken cocaine, raising questions Thursday over her successful TV career Stateside.

The 54-year-old said last year she had taken cocaine around seven times but was not addicted as she gave evidence in the trial of two former personal assistants who were later cleared of fraud.

But British police have said they will take no further action against her.

Lawson's publicists declined to comment but if confirmed, the incident could complicate the mother-of-two's starring role in US cooking talent show "The Taste", months after her bitter and public divorce from ex-husband Charles Saatchi.

The Daily Mail said Lawson had arrived at Heathrow's Terminal Five on Sunday to catch a flight to Los Angeles but after checking in and passing security she was told she could not board the plane.

It was unclear why Lawson was barred from the US given she has travelled there since her admission in December of cocaine use.

The US has strict immigration laws regarding those with convictions or who have been arrested but officials can also exclude those who have admitted to illegal acts even though they have not been punished by the law.

Lawson, known for the sensual manner in which she samples food, said she had used cocaine with her late husband John Diamond when he learned his cancer was terminal and later during a difficult time in her relationship with Saatchi.

The high-profile art dealer was photographed with one of his hands round Lawson's throat before their divorce, while the mother-of-two accused him of "acts of intimate terrorism" during the trial of her personal assistants.

[Image via John Keogh, Creative Commons licensed]