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Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson isn't dishing on her U.S. travel ban, but her TV co-host Anthony Bourdain blasted the decision in a Twitter tirade as an embassy official reportedly offered to help.
"We are not commenting on the story, but thanks for being in touch," Lawson's UK publicist told the Daily News Thursday.
"I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions re: #Nigella travel. Unbelievable," Bourdain tweeted Thursday morning.
"Toronto mayor, Rob Ford? Welcome to the USA. Nigella Lawson? No. REALLY? Absolutely appalling misuse of our system. And by whom? How?" demanded Bourdain, referring to Mayor Ford's recent trip to the Oscars after his acknowledged use of crack cocaine.
Manhattan-based Bourdain, 57, has judged contestants on ABC's prime-time cooking show "The Taste" alongside Lawson for two seasons and is famous for his salty commentary.
I am absolutely mortified with embarrassment over the cruelty and hypocrisy of US actions re: #Nigella travel. Unbelievable.- Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) April 3, 2014
His fed-up tweets came after Lawson, 54, reportedly tried to board a Los Angeles-bound flight at London's Heathrow Airport Sunday morning, but got turned away due to her court confession last year that she snorted cocaine and smoked pot in the past.
"She didn't seem to say much, but she did not look happy," an unidentified airport witness told the UK's Daily Mail. "She could not get on the flight so she had to turn around and leave."
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in London later invited Lawson to stop by for some assistance obtaining a new visa, Britain's Sky News reported Thursday.
"There are several ways of legally traveling 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.," the spokeswoman reportedly said. "We understand she has professional requirements for U.S. travel and these matters are generally handled routinely and expeditiously, so stand by."
Craig Sjodin/ABC
Lawson wouldn't be the first celebrity to suffer such a travel ban. Model Kate Moss and singer Amy Winehouse both were barred from entering the U.S. after drug scandals, and Paris Hilton was turned away at Japan's Narita Airport after her cocaine conviction.
Lawson has endured a tough year with her private life thrust into the spotlight.
The brunette beauty's marriage to Charles Saatchi, 70, imploded last June when disturbing photos surfaced of the millionaire mogul with his hand around her neck at a London restaurant.
The couple split up and Lawson was later forced to testify at the fraud trial of former assistants Francesca and Elisabetta Grillo, where she was grilled over accusations of drug abuse.
Toronto mayor, Rob Ford? Welcome to the USA. Nigella Lawson? No. REALLY? Absolutely appalling misuse of our system. And by whom? How?- Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) April 3, 2014
Lawson confirmed she had tried cocaine and "smoked the odd joint" in the past to cope with the death of her first husband, John Diamond, and the "intimate terrorism" of Saatchi.
"I did not and do not have a drug problem. I had a life problem. I decided to address that," she told the court.
The Grillo sisters were ultimately cleared and Lawson later described the trial as "mortifying" during a U.S. appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" that wasn't interrupted by a travel restriction.
In her first UK television interview since separating from Saatchi, Lawson broke down in tears last week on the set of Michael McIntyre's popular BBC1 chat show.
"I've had better times," she admitted, likening the last year to "having a layer of skin removed."
ndillon@nydailynews.com
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