There was no evidence the Obamas had heard of him, either. 5. ", Alexander, who waited in the car, said that the last time she saw Macchiarini, he had turned around and walked back up the stairs. I don't want you to do anything except find your dresses and just, all you have to do is show up and look beautiful. [00:33:17] Bob: What he thinks is this is going to be an incredible challenge. So just under two months before the wedding, and it was just difficult. What do they discover? How does one design a wedding dress for a wedding [00:34:25] Matthew Christopher: With the Pope? As Alexander began to unravel the web of lies Macchiarini had told her, she began to wonder if the world-renowned thoracic surgeon had also misled people in his professional life. After sweeping Alexander off her feet by taking her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the world for months, Macchiarini proposed. And he's Italian, and he wanted this big Catholic wedding in Italy. And so there was a lot of palpable excitement about this wedding, you know, people were really eager and excited for this wedding. I mean things don't move forward if we don't have people who are willing to, you know, you know, push things a little bit and he, he was that guy, you know, and he, he was very fascinating. 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. The third season, called "Dr. Death: Miracle Man" includes 6 episodes, along with a bonus episode that is an interview with Benita by host Laura Beil. It could go out the window. Benita was also the Co-Executive Producer and narrator for the 2016 TLC documentary, "Breaking the Silence," about sexual abuse. Documentary producer Benita Alexander thought it was love when her job introduced her to internationally renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. It has led to extensive reform work internally at KI in order to improve and clarify a number of regulations and routines.". Benita Alexander-Jeune started her career as a journalist for a few minor television stations. He spent months supposedly going to different churches in Italy, and he would send me pictures of these places, and all these details, and asked me if I liked them or not. I want, I just want to get the job done. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. [00:36:44] Bob: I feel like there's some people you meet who are simultaneously uh impressive but uncomfortable. Free online workshop! 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. The couple divorced in 2009. 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. Macchiarini.". And so they got FDA approval for Paolo to do the surgery in Illinois, and they got him a special medical license to do the surgery in Illinois. On your mark, get set, go. [00:41:47] Bob: But not as scary as what happens next. Her multiple awards include: Edward R. Murrow, 2 Emmys, 7 Emmy nominations, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia, NABJ and Sigma Delta Chi. [00:08:14] Benita: But we, we started looking into him, and then he was about to do a transplant on this beautiful, beautiful little toddler, um, her name was Hannah, from Seoul, South Korea. "Paolo was a really good listener," Alexander said. In September 2020, Swedish prosecutors announced charges against Macchiarini for aggravated assault in connection to three surgeries that he had performed at the Karolinska University Hospital, including Cetir's. It started with Andrea Bocelli was going to be singing in the church, because Paolo told me that his mother and Bocellis mother were friends. Alexander then married, Edson Jeune, a ballroom dancer. [00:31:56] Bob: Benita sees a dress made by Christopher in a New York City store, but it isn't quite right. In 2015, she served as a co-executive producer on Breaking the Silence, which featured DWTS pro Cheryl Burke, and Counting On alums Jessa Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard. It defeats the point, Benita recently said. NBC News is pulling "A Leap of Faith" Meredith Vieira's documentary on controversial . Nothing anybody could do for her, and then like so many of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini's patients, they did a google search and found this kind of a magician of a surgeon who said I can help your little girl. Two-hour special that investigates the perfect engagement gone wrong between Emmy award-winning journalist, Benita Alexander, and the internationally acclaimed surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini Two-hour special that investigates the perfect engagement gone wrong between Emmy award-winning journalist, Benita Alexander, and the internationally acclaimed surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. Alexander said Macchiarini later called her, telling her he was at the Vatican and that he had some big news: Not only did he find someone willing to perform the ceremony but he said it was his own patient, the pope himself. Capping off a whirlwind romance filled with gondola rides in Venice and quiet dinners in the Greek islands, she was. 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 didn't even, I, I, I stopped in hesitation. Among the high-powered clients who Macchiarini claimed were on this network were the Clintons, the Obamas and even Pope Francis. [00:18:02] Benita: Oh, there was so many. "I talked to my editors and we started thinking, 'Well, let's just keep pulling on this thread. "We had to clear her throat basically every four to six hours, sort of 24 hours, seven days a week," said Oscar Simonson, a cardiothoracic surgeon who worked at the Karolinska Institute and its affiliated hospital at the time. How to, what do we do now? Alexander had already sent invitations to her closed ones. [00:20:06] Benita: We had kind of quietly gotten engaged, but we weren't telling anybody um, because I mean the complicated thing about this is that there's a sort of unwritten rule in journalism that everybody understands, that, you know, there's, there is a line you just don't cross a kind of sacred line where you don't, you can empathize with a story subject, you can sympathize, but you don't become personally involved with a story subject for, for the reason, obviously, that your objectivity could be compromised, right. [00:08:01] Bob: Benita knows she wants to do a special about Paolo's work, but she needs a story, a patient that viewers can follow from beginning to end. A JOURNALIST revealed the chilling clue that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon as a "romance scammer.". [00:10:23] Benita: Yeah, the thing about this was, I am, and I'm, I'm very serious when I work. I mean, and we didn't know what to do. You know we went on this incredibly romantic trip to Greece, and he was always videotaping me. Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. And [00:14:24] Bob: It feels natural for Benita to share the family struggle with this world famous surgeon, a man who had spent his career cheating death, or trying anyway. [00:31:32] Bob: I mean that sounds like a very special process. 5 Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has revealed chilling clues that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon Paolo Macchiarini as a "romance scammer" Credit: Instagram / loveconned 5 I'm going to have to do the exact number but [00:12:07] Bob: And you hadn't felt that way ever, or at least not for 30 years, something like that. Macchiarini had reported that after his first patient underwent the procedure, a healthy trachea was beginning to develop, Lindquist said. I'm, you know, I like, I like information. again. I mean my, I mean my jaw was on the floor. I mean most 8-year-olds will change their minds, you know, many times, but I never changed. "I went full on into investigator mode as I knew he wouldnt tell me the truth," Benita said. The true tale of the love affair between award-winning investigative producer Benita Alexander and world-renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. And we got involved and started doing the story, and it got very intense. But everything else, I'm planning everything, and you can't ask me any questions.". In February, 2021 it was featured as a two-hour special on ABCs 20/20. Her story is now featured as the third season of Wondery's hit podcast, "Dr. It's, it's a very um, it has a lot of stature, that building and a lot of meaning. 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. And when I looked at the email, there was an article, and it was an article about the fact that the Pope was not even going to be in Rome on July 11th, 2015, he was going to be in South America. On Feb. 14, Investigation Discovery, in conjunction with Efran Films, will premiere the astonishing and true story of love gone wrong in a new documentary special called, He Lied About Everything. The Korean girl that had undergone Macchiarini's procedure in Illinois, whose story Alexander had been sent to cover, had died in the time following the surgery. [00:25:28] Bo Lindquist: He was definitely prone to getting angry and, and could be quite violently. See the shocking new details about Paolo Macchiarini's alleged medical crimes, new interviews and new revelations Friday on "20/20" at 9 p.m. He also directed ABC News to a list of reforms the Institute was implementing in the wake of the scandal. [00:42:33] Bob: When Benita comes to her senses, she switches back into investigative reporter mode, and decides to find out the real truth behind Paolo. And I had seen paperwork that he had done work at the Vatican, consulting work. Macchiarini did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. [00:23:44] Bo Lindquist: Paolo was very well-dressed and very careful with his looks. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. We were sitting together on the, on the plane, and I just sort of started pouring my heart out to him, and he was a very good friend. But when it comes to the wedding, Paolo takes the lead. Benita Alexander is a producer, director, writer, and narrator, who has actually been behind several episodes of ID's '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. I mean it was crazy. ET on ABC. The slip from "Prince Charming to pathological liar" took place over just two years, she said. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [00:01:54] Bob: Benita didn't start her career working for a larger network in New York. [00:30:47] Benita: It was all very hush-hush, you know, everybody that was involved in the wedding planning, including the people that designed the wedding invitations, the people that made my wedding dresses, everybody had to just, had to sign nondisclosure agreements. Benita Alexander's documentary chronicles her fairytale romance with a celebrity surgeon that turned into a scam. What did he do this time?" Powered by WordPress.com VIP. With Whoopi Goldberg. "The woman in Barcelona was not his wife. [00:36:00] Matthew Christopher: On Valentine's Day, I met him. Meanwhile, the investigation into Macchiarini's professional life was ramping up -- the Karolinska Institute was investigating whether he'd fabricated aspects of his medical research. The story with making a couture gown is, you know, it goes through, gosh, a team of pattern makers, drapers, um, stitchers, sewers, hand stitchers, beading and embroiderers, lace, and all that kind of stuff. And they kind of laughed. Creating artificial body parts. Arabic Mehndi Designs For Hands, Full Hand, Front Hand, Back Hand, Aqsa Afridi Pics, Age, Photos, Husband, Wikipedia, Pictures, Biography, Apurva Padgaonkar Pics, Age, Photos, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, April Fools Greetings, Messages, Quotes, Wishes, Images, Photos, Pics, Pictures, April Banbury Pics, Age, Photos, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Apricot Health Benefits | Is Apricot Good For Health, Alfonso Herrera Pics, Age, Photos, Shirtless, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Alekhya Reddy Pics, Age, Photos, Husband, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Alakh Pandey Pics, Age, Photos, Marriage, Wedding, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Irita Marriott Age, Photos, Wikipedia, Biography, Wahaj Ali Pics, Sister, Wife, Wiki, Biography, Kaitlyn Lawes Pics, Age, Photos, Wedding, Husband, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Loren Allred Pics, Husband, Height, Biography, Wiki, Asma Nawaz Sharif Pics, Age, Photos, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Alakananda (News Reader) Pics, Age, Photos, Family, Biography, Pictures, Wikipedia, Mrs Whistlindiesel Only Fans Pics, Biography, Wiki, Umar Ata Bandial Pics, Family, Son in Law, Daughter Wedding, Son, Biography, Wiki, Farhan Saeed Second Wife, Second Marriage, First wife. And everybody was sort of envious in a, in a sweet way, you know, everybody would say to me, "I want what you have." [00:06:37] Bob: Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, he's doing surgeries that most doctors could only dream about. Um, maybe I felt like that at some point when I was really young and I had a, had a crush in school, I don't know, but I don't, I don't ever remember feeling like that. The procedure uses the framework of a plastic tube lined with the patient's stem cells and is intended to help them replicate into a healthy version of the . And I said, "Well what are we going to do?" She later tied the knot with a ballroom instructor Edson Jeune in 2012, yet even that didnt work out. Therefore, when Benita met the charming Paolo Macchiarini in the spring of 2013, thanks to NBCs A Leap of Faith, and he swept her off her feet, she crossed the professional line to start a romance with him. They become engaged and plan a lavish dream wedding, to be attended by celebrities and officiated by none other than Pope Francis himself. I see a woman and two kids," she said, adding that she knew about Paolo's wife in Italy. A contact she had to the Clintons told her they'd never heard of Macchiarini. In fact, the scientist was embroiled in lawsuits and accusations at work. They got married in October 2012. Benita Alexander is an award-winning television producer who is known for her won on Investigation Discoverys ID Now, Crimes Gone Viral, Dateline and Inside the Obama White House among other works. You know, all these celebrities were coming. She started her career at a local news station before moving on to work at NBC in New York. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. [00:21:22] Benita: Tragically, Hannah passed away, which was, um, just devastating. You know, "What did he do this time? "It said that he had a normal functioning airway," Corbascio said. In 2019, she produced the Oxygen doc Seduced By Evil, which chronicles another con-man, Derek Alldred. They live in the same area outside Florence. She graduated magna cum laude from WSU with a degree in journalism in 1987. And I, I think at least that it makes me a better writer and a better journalist. [00:23:07] Bob: The first time you met him was where? For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has revealed chilling clues that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon Paolo Macchiarini as a "romance scammer", The two fell for each other when Benita was interviewing Macchiarini for a story, The couple planned a lavish wedding set to take place in 2015 that felt too good to be true after Macchiarini said the Pope would officiate it, Benita decided to hire a private investigator, which led to her discovering her famous surgeon lover was actually facing legal trouble over his innovative techniques, Benita said she left her job of 17 years to marry Macchiarini, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Every time he took me on a trip, he just delighted in these, these big, over the top, elaborate surprises. The providers terms, conditions and policies apply. For other inquiries, Contact Us. People often tell me that afterwards, that, you know, I'm very hyper-focused and very no-nonsense, you know, all business. 'People Magazine Investigates' Features Man's 24-Year Wrongful Prison Sentence: 'Never Thought It Could Happen', Revisit PEOPLE's 2002 Conversation with Michael Peterson, Whose Wife's Death Inspired HBO Max's 'The Staircase', Witnesses Describe Horror of Buffalo Mass Shooting: 'I'll Have This in My Head for the Rest of My Life', Private Investigator Who Looked for Sherri Papini Speaks Out About Her Arrest: 'I've Been Hoaxed', Gabby Petito's Family Opens Up About Her Murder in New Peacock Documentary Watch the Trailer, Mom's Discovery of Son's Severed Head in Bucket Leads to Murder Charge for Wisconsin Woman, Roundtable Discussion on Gabby Petito's Death Spotlights Media's Coverage of Missing Persons Cases. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music| Spotify | Stitcher|TuneIn. So over the next few days he tells me that theres something hes never told me before, and that he is actually Pope Franciss private personal doctor. [00:05:31] Bob: Benita worked on several stories about medical miracles, and at the time, there was one kind of medical miracle that just kept coming up. Death podcast. I want to focus on work. And then every month there was a new surprise. In June 2013, they flew to Venice for what Alexander called an incredibly romantic weekend.. During her investigation into Macchiarini, Alexander hired private investigators in the U.S. and Italy. 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. [00:35:01] Matthew Christopher: No, no, just her friends who are so much fun. Benita has to keep a secret. "The surgeons in Turkey tried to repair it and there were some complications," said Rosemary Pinto, a personal injury lawyer later hired by Cetir's family. [00:31:07] Bob: But what is a couture wedding gown designer? I mean we were there to speak about science, so I thought, okay. Which clearly would completely change the face of, of medicine and, you know, all these people that been told they have no hope or no chance, it, it would be, it would be a gamechanger, right. I had to understand what happened and why. She couldn't eat. And then in radio, producing a radio talk show, and then in local television. Benita Alexander has everything going for her. Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English Buy Season 1 Um, (laugh) I was uh, in my 40s. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly Although her family said the injury wasn't serious enough to necessitate a tracheal transplant, she still underwent the procedure and went on to experience tremendous pain. And this is something very clandestine and secretive and he cant talk about, but hes been doing this for many years, and he is a celebrity surgeon to a number of famous people and celebrities, but that he cant talk about this because hes tied to people who want a private doctor who will attend to them but, you know, they have these private doctors, because they don't want anyone to know, you know, whats going on in their private life. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. [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. "I wanted to get all the information that I could before I really confronted him.". Benita Alexander is a strong, independent, intelligent, warm, and loving woman who thought she found her love connection with a man that swept her off her feet, much like prince charming! [00:00:03] He was incredibly generous, you know, and so romantic and just so wonderful. Macchiarini ran into some legal trouble regarding his stem cell treatments with Swedish prosecutors recently appealing a sentence given to the Italian surgeon, the Associated Press reported. Excellent place. On the back of his motorcycle, he drove her along the Illinois River until they found a place where she could memorialize her ex-husband. And her parents were just distraught, you know, they wanted, they had been told she might live 6 or 7 years, and there's no cure. [00:39:32] Bob: And as the day approaches, Benita gets to try on that custom-made wedding dress. Thank you to our team of scambusters; Executive Producer, Julie Getz; Researcher, Haley Nelson; Associate Producer, Annalea Embree; and of course, our Audio Engineer, Julio Gonzalez. My then ex-husband, who I had moved to New York with and the father of our beautiful daughter, was dying of brain cancer. In early 1982, shortly before her 16th birthday, Benita returned home from a sleepover to discover that her mother had left the family in the middle of the night. He had told her, as personal surgeon to the Pope, the leader of the Catholic church wanted to marry the couple, she explained. I'll take care of it." And spent months, you know, this did not happen overnight. She did what she had to but never let it take over her life, which in turn helped her graduate magna cum laude from Wayne State University in 1987. Most importantly, though, we need to mention that Benita not only attended the former doctor/her former fiancs trial in Sweden, but she also covered it as a correspondent for season 3 of the Dr. And so now his son, who I think was about 8 or 9 at the time, was in Brazil with her family, and he was engaged in this very difficult and complicated fight to try and get his son back, and such a loving father. [00:42:58] Bob: If you have been targeted by a scam or fraud, you are not alone. Quack, quack, quack. Oh, and a dance gown too, that was crazy fun. And right about then, across the Atlantic Ocean, Bo is about to find out the real truth about Paolo too. Benita Alexander has been married twice. And I also had my beard uh, uh, cut there. It does make it difficult sometimes, because you, some stories are so heavy and so difficult, and I would sometimes, it would take me weeks sometimes to sort of shake a story, and people would sit with me, and their stories would sit with me for a long, long time. Paolo Macchiarini proposes to Benita Alexander before leaving US for work: Part 2Alexander seemed to be living a fantasy lifestyle. We need to be pointing the finger at the con man.. In 2013, she was featured in the NBC documentary "A Leap of Faith." She has won numerous awards for her work. She was floored when he told her John Legend would sing at their wedding and Pope Francis would officiate. And we rode for probably 30, 45 minutes until I sort of found a spot that I thought was appropriate, and I got off the bike and I went to the water. In a 500-page complaint filed in 2014 that detailed their allegations, the doctors accused Macchiarini of promoting a medical procedure that showed few signs of success while endangering the lives of his patients. And he said, "Just tell me when you want to stop." "From that moment on, it felt like my head was spinning," Alexander said, "and it didn't stop spinning.". 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. Alexander said that day marked the beginning of their relationship. [00:35:41] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, and we definitely um, we made sure that through this process, we made sure we took care of her, you know what I mean. [00:25:56] Bob: How did he take to being questioned? And there are special considerations now that the wedding is going to be at the Vatican, so she asks the store how she can get in touch with the designer? Not, not that kind of just instant, immediate spark. You know he; he was sort of like Mr. [00:26:36] Benita: Paolo wanted a big, Catholic wedding. And so he took me on his motorcycle along the Illinois River. [00:33:44] Bob: And you, you had outfitted Broadway stars, famous people, but even for you this was a big deal. 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. [00:17:35] Benita: Around this time that my ex-husband, John, passed away, we became romantically involved. [00:25:58] Bo Lindquist: I think he liked the challenge. He is Italian. How do we, how do we tell this story? Because the, in itself, more gowns were added into the wedding. "None of these people were coming," Benita said she tragically discovered. See production, box office & company info, Fatal Experiments: The Downfall of a Supersurgeon. [00:09:18] Benita: Yeah, so we, we started focusing our story around Hannah and her family, and Hannah was actually, she was going to be the youngest person in the world to ever get one of his experimental transplants; the first toddler, and also the first patient to be operated on in the United States. And he said, you know, I actually met with Pope Francis. And I went, What? You know and he said, And I, I have great news. Um, Hes, hes going to help us um, were going to have somebody that will marry us, and he offered to do it himself. You know I said, What? You know, and I actually kind of called BS on him because I, I said, Thats absurd. The doctors also raised the issue that Macchiarini had reported on a patient in a way that suggested the patient was still alive, even though they had died before the paper was published. One of the reasons I am so adamant about continuing to talk about this is because I think victim-shaming is terrible.
How Do You Take Apart A Speakman Shower Head,
Milton Fatal Accident,
Nola Clark Model Photos,
Articles B
