Nigella Lawson
Biography
Born in London in 1960, Nigella is the eldest daughter of politician Nigel Lawson (who, most notably, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher). After graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, she worked in journalism from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, writing for The Spectator (which her father had once been editor of), The Sunday Times and other publications, and occasionally presenting the long-running newspaper review show What the Papers Say.
Her love of cooking came from her mother, and she was inspired to write her first cookbook, How to Eat, after seeing a dinner party host in tears because of an unset crème caramel. How to Eat was an instant bestseller, and her first TV series, Nigella Bites, quickly followed. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Trivia
Nigella was married to journalist John Diamond from 1992 until his death from cancer in 2001. Diamond was known in the game show world for winning two games of Countdown in 1986.
In addition to The Taste - which Nigella also did in the States - and The Great British Bake Off, Nigella has guest judged episodes of the former's Top Chef, one of its Iron Chef derivatives, Australia's My Kitchen Rules, and both countries' versions of Masterchef.
One of her cooking shows, Cook Eat Repeat, aired slap bang in the middle of Quizzy Monday between Only Connect and University Challenge. Boo. Hiss.