And you know, dozens of roses and champagne and always the best champagne. And so I did, you know, I sat back, and even when I was tempted to ask questions, I didn't. Come on. I thought he was playing some kind of silly game with me. I didn't even, I, I, I stopped in hesitation. Her new podcast "Benita and the Berracas," will feature Benita talking to other women who open up to her about their own love conned stories, along with advice on how to avoid becoming a victim. During her investigation into Macchiarini, Alexander hired private investigators in the U.S. and Italy. [00:23:10] Bo Lindquist: The first time was in Stockholm at the Karolinska Institute. But before the wedding can happen, Benita makes a . Then, just before New Year's Eve, he left the U.S., telling Alexander that he had a "really important surgery" to perform. It was going to be this four-day event in Rome, you know, with a red carpet event the night before the wedding, and a big brunch the day after the wedding, and people bought plane tickets, they bought fancy, you know, red carpet attire for this wedding. And when we went to Boston to interview Dr. Macchiarini, when he came in, it was um, I was with a colleague, and he, he came into this bar where we had arranged to have a coffee with him just to say hello the night before the interview, and you know there's, he's a very charming, good-looking man. It was, it was a huge change and a huge change for my daughter. Their trained fraud specialists can provide you with free support and guidance on what to do next. Its so damaging. That's next week on The Perfect Scam. www.aarp.org/volunteer. But Benita's intuition overtook her and she hired a private investigator to look into the surreal wedding. "Then he said he had connections to the Vatican. How do we, how do we tell this story? And it was so fun to work with, with all of them, you know, anybody that, and they have private appointments that wanted to come in. Star Benita Alexander-Noel See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 12 User reviews Photos Add photo [00:31:07] Bob: But what is a couture wedding gown designer? She started her career at a local news station before moving on to work at NBC in New York. And I was raised Episcopalian, but I said, "I know, I know enough about the Catholic religion to know that no priest is going to marry two divorcees," and he, he, you know, he said, "Don't worry. In 2019, she produced the Oxygen doc Seduced By Evil, which chronicles another con-man, Derek Alldred. Megan Hilty on the Tony's, like she got best dress, or Debra Messing, or you know, Carli Lloyd, like the whole soccer team coming in, I'm dressing Carli Lloyd for all these, for the ESPYs, and, you know, all these amazing people that I've dressed over the years, even the Oscars and I'm, I mean it's going wow, I made it to where I love what I do. This very personal film, which Benita narrates herself, documents how her fairytale romance with a world-renowned surgeon turns into a nightmare. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? "It said that he had a normal functioning airway," Corbascio said. ", Heartbroken, Alexander continued to discover more of Macchiarini's lies in the ensuing months. I'm kind of a control, you know, right, I'm kind of a control freak. He traveled to Illinois to operate on a Korean toddler who was born without a trachea and who was going to be the youngest person to ever receive an artificial one. "He was a top doctor, he spoke six or seven languages. Nobody, except my closest friends and family, knew about the Pope because we weren't allowed to talk about it, but they knew that was a big VIP wedding. [00:06:46] Benita: And he was, as I said, called the super surgeon, and he was the pioneer in this field. "He seemed like he was the miracle man," she said. Benita Alexander is a producer, director, writer, and narrator, who has actually been behind several episodes of IDs Now, Dateline, and even Inside the Obama White House. It thus comes as no surprise that her professional success has given way to her confidence. [00:34:35] Bob: The first step is working with Benita on ideas for the wedding dress. You know he loves to surprise you. The scale . Every time he took me on a trip, he just delighted in these, these big, over the top, elaborate surprises. Benita Alexander, an award-winning documentary television producer and single mother, shares her story in ABC's "The Con." ABC News At the time, Macchiarini was employed by the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden. I want, I just want to get the job done. ABC News produced a tv series, The Con, that explores stories of people taken in by claims and promises that proved too good to be true, revealing how the victims were fooled and the cost of their false trust. And, and so we pivoted the story a bit to make it a little bit more about some of Paolo's other patients and more about, you know the field of regenerative medicine. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. I don't know if I was nervous. But our guest list was insane because now that the Pope was marrying us, he kept inviting all these dignitaries, you know, so world leaders were coming to our wedding. I said, I just, I can't do this. "And then I want him to be held accountable. And I made it to this point. [00:35:01] Matthew Christopher: No, no, just her friends who are so much fun. Journalist Benita Alexander is swept off her feet by a dashing Italian doctor, Paolo Macchiarini, while filming a documentary about his miraculous surgeries. 5. [00:31:37] Bob: Matthew is no stranger to dressing important people at important times. Journalist Benita Alexander is swept off her feet by a dashing Italian doctor, Paolo Macchiarini, while filming a documentary about his miraculous surgeries. [00:01:59] Benita: I had worked my way up from working in, from tiny little newspapers in Detroit, Michigan, which is where I went to college and where I'd, my family had moved after Australia. You know, no, how do we take viewers through a two-hour journey of this little girl coming, you know, halfway across the world to get this radical surgery, and then she doesn't make it? [00:10:16] Bob: And when they meet, well Benita is stunned by what happens. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. She reflected on their relationship and wondered how she could've missed all the red flags. When Benita discovers that her fiance is not who he claims to be, she goes on an emotional journey to unravel a trail of destruction that leaves patients dead and their shattered families in shock. I have to tell you, and I'm like, you know, I'm a very boisterous, fun guy, that's, you know, and very um, slap-happy fun, and I literally stopped in my tracks, and was like, "Huh?" When she continued to press Macchiarini about the pope, she said he blamed Vatican politics, alleging that the more conservative former Pope Benedict went behind Pope Francis' back to stop him from officiating the wedding. What started as dream relationship developed into a nightmare filled with lies and deceit. Six years later, in 2009, they filed for divorce. [00:17:51] Bob: Their relationship blossoms quickly. You know, all these celebrities were coming. When a magical romance with a world-renowned surgeon develops into a nightmare, his fianc uncovers a path of destruction that leaves dead patients and shattered families in its wake. Paolo showers Benita with affection. Benita Alexander-Noel was born on April 21, 1966 in Australia. I, my friends sort of joke now that, you know, I was blushing all the time, and I was just giddy. The couple had the wedding planned for July 2015. She said she'd never fantasized about a "Prince Charming." This is a true you must see it to believe it tale, with so many twists and turns, it will leave viewers stunned, asking only how this could have actually happened, Schleiff says. While still trying to care for Cetir, Corbascio said his team found that Macchiarini had exaggerated the effectiveness of his surgeries and falsified data to make the surgeries seem more successful than they were. I was there for about 20 minutes, and I, I tossed these flowers into the water, and I was, you know, very emotional in saying goodbye to John. Benita Alexander-Jeune started her career as a journalist for a few minor television stations. And she was Daddy's Little Girl. Meanwhile, the doctors were still trying to save Cetir's life. They make it for you in the lab, right. And he was putting artificial tracheas, the windpipe, into patients. Alexander said that day marked the beginning of their relationship. Previously considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients' own stem cells as trachea . Alexander hired a private investigator to investigate all the secrets and lies about Macchiarini. She is honestly proud of how far she has come (as she should be), and its evident shell never let anything or anyone take this journey/narrative away from her. Yeah. And spent months, you know, this did not happen overnight. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. [00:32:14] Matthew Christopher: She actually came to my private showroom which was really cool, and um, I had my whole staff there, and we had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, and I was like, what is going on here? And whatever that is, let's, let's push that away, you know. [00:25:58] Bo Lindquist: I think he liked the challenge. [00:24:45] Bo Lindquist: I mean he basically said that he was going to revolutionize medicine, and, and not just invent a new kind of a trachea or a new kind of transplant, but actually revolutionize surgery. Macchiarini proposed to Alexander on Christmas Day in 2013. [00:34:26] Matthew Christopher: You put your, I am going to make the most gorgeous dress you've ever seen. I mean it was crazy. And I was, I was really moved by that. Alexander was working on a documentary about Macchiarinis success in the medical field. I'm never viewed like that, but I was definitely like, huh? Her first marriage was to fellow journalist John Noel. I loved my work at NBC. "She was having problems with infections so, at that point, she came into contact with Dr. And the stem cells were supposed to magically integrate, and he was fixing people. Fans can also watch He Lied About Everything on InvestigationDiscovery.com. Just like, oh, the dance dress was crazy. [00:06:37] Bob: Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, he's doing surgeries that most doctors could only dream about. And that presence was really something, it was really something. And so he took me on his motorcycle along the Illinois River. Macchiarini had told Alexander that he was on a work trip in Russia, but when Alexander pulled up near his home, she said he was standing on the steps with his dog. The Perfect ScamSMis a project of theAARP Fraud Watch Network, which equips consumers like you with the knowledge to give you power over scams. I was, I was conflicted about it. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. They set their wedding for 11 July 2015 in Rome. Benita Alexander, and swept her off her feet with a marriage proposal and promises of a wedding . Uh, I think he actually appreciated being challenged to an extent. It does so much unnecessary damage. So now, if you wish to learn more about the latters narrative as well as her current inspirational standing, weve got the details for you. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. With a purported VIP list of friends and clients that included former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Russian president Vladimir Putin and entertainment icons such as Elton John, their wedding was expected to be one of the biggest events of the year. [00:05:44] Benita: Yeah, I mean the, we wanted to do a story about this field called regenerative medicine which added base core, the most simplistic way to define this is, it's sort of sci-fi, futuristic medicine where the, the goal is to be able to create body parts or organs in the lab, man-made. In mid-2013, they became a couple and in December that year they became pre-engaged as Macchiarini, who lived in Barcelona, Spain, said he was still legally married with two children but had been separated for a long time and was filing for divorce. Emmy Award Winning . Hosted by Benita Alexander. The way he used stem cells with his plastic tracheas would eventually develop into something quite extraordinary where you could use stem cells to target organs or other areas of the body where the, where there was a medical problem. Paolo says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. And I literally, I was really like, what? But despite his seemingly busy schedule, Alexander said Macchiarini offered to plan their wedding. In response to Gerdin's report, Macchiarini denied all the findings. Macchiarini told Alexander he was having difficulty finding a Catholic priest who would marry two divorcees, but he told her not to worry, he would talk to his contact in the Vatican. And after he left, I said to my parents, that's what I'm going to do when I grow up. I truly was for a period there, happier than I think I've ever been. I was like, 'What is happening to Benita,'" Alexander's friend, Marian Fontana, said. And that was the moment I just thought, oh, I'm, I'm falling for this man, you know, and I just, I just sort of melted into his arms. And it's, I was proud to work there. She was even more stunned when she began to realize that so much of what Macchiarini had told her about his personal and professional life was a lie. He seemed that way in his work as well, but here he is talking to me and spending all this time listening to me and seemed very vested in this little girl that he had never met. I mean I'm going to achieve this; you know what I mean? And Paolo never talks about his personal life. Read More: Where Is Paolo Macchiarini Now? And he actually said his barber in uh the south of Russia, he, he managed to find this excellent, excellent barber in Kazan there where he performed his Russian experiments, brilliant guy. The emotions of the moment overwhelm her. again. [00:01:54] Bob: Benita didn't start her career working for a larger network in New York. (Pasadena, Calif.) - This Valentine's Day, Investigation Discovery (ID) presents a love story gone wrong with HE LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING, the astonishing true tale of the love affair between award-winning investigative news producer Benita Alexander, and the brilliant, world-renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini.What started as a picture-perfect dream relationship between two people at the . [00:19:01] Bob: It's just making it harder for every man in the world. And he had been fighting with her in the courts in Brazil over this, and then she passed away, unfortunately. And that frees up Benita to go public about their relationship. [00:17:35] Benita: Around this time that my ex-husband, John, passed away, we became romantically involved. Before their wedding, the couple visited Italy, where Alexander asked Macchiarini to show her where their wedding celebrations would take place. What to tell her. 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