They become engaged and plan a lavish dream wedding, to be attended by celebrities and officiated by none other than Pope Francis himself. "That wasn't true. By what name was He Lied About Everything (2018) officially released in Canada in English? Lindquist said the documentary sparked outrage in Sweden, and weeks later, new investigations into Macchiarini began. In fact, the scientist was embroiled in lawsuits and accusations at work. And so it was kind of the perfect case for us to focus our story around. I mean it got to the point where he loved to surprise me, everywhere we went. related to AARP volunteering. 'People Magazine Investigates' : Tracking Down the Man Who Allegedly Killed Mom of Two Joy Hibbs in 1991, Arrest Made in Beloved Mother's Cold Case Murder and Prosecutor Credits 'People Magazine Investigates', 'Hiding in Plain Sight': All About Jimmy Savile, Disgraced Royal Confidante Featured in Netflix Doc, 'People Magazine Investigates' : Inside Decades-Old Disappearances of 5 People Along the Snake River. She started her career at a local news station before moving on to work at NBC in New York. We had, we had a very good relationship still when it came to our daughter and sharing custody and you know, both of us were very focused on our daughter. [00:11:57] Benita: Ooh, you're going to make me do math. Benita Alexander, an award-winning documentary TV producer and Paolo Macchiarini fall in love after meeting in 2013 while she is working on a story about the surgeon's pioneering w Show more. He worked at the place that awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine, Karolinska Institute in Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden. It defeats the point, Benita recently said. And Benita had a veil, and I brought over some dresses, and we were having some champagne, giggling and sketching, and it was so fun. One of the reasons I am so adamant about continuing to talk about this is because I think victim-shaming is terrible. It was an excellent place. In 2019, the film was nominated in the documentary category for the WIN Awards, Women's Image Network. [00:19:03] Benita: (laugh) Yeah, yep, yeah. So first it was about the wedding gown itself. 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. 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Documentary producer Benita Alexander thought it was love when her job introduced her to internationally renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. Who lost her dad. And so I was sort of, by becoming involved with him and by falling in love with him, I was breaking this cardinal rule in journalism that you don't get involved with a subject of your story, and even though when we did fall in love, it was, we were at the end of the production of the story, we kept it quiet because of that. And then um, (sigh) oh her sisters, the two bridesmaids, and then two flower girl dresses. He speaks 5 or 6 languages, and he works all over the world, and you know, dresses very beautifully. [00:40:15] Bob: With that dramatic entrance comes a dramatic exit too. Benita Alexander has everything going for her. It basically was, we've been asked to do this, and by virtue of being my fianc, because I'm this famous doctor, I feel that this is something we should do. It was, it was really, really difficult. Um, it hit all of us very, very hard. I don't know what I was. In the meantime, please feel free Just like, oh, the dance dress was crazy. Maybe help me, help with the invitations 'cause I don't want to deal with that. I mean I'm going to achieve this; you know what I mean? He, he was supposed to be their last hope. With Whoopi Goldberg. Come on. I thought he was playing some kind of silly game with me. Among the high-powered clients who Macchiarini claimed were on this network were the Clintons, the Obamas and even Pope Francis. In 2013, she was featured in the NBC documentary "A Leap of Faith." She has won numerous awards for her work. Ole Petter Ottersen, president of the Karolinska Institute since 2017, told ABC News in a request for comment on Macchiarini, "It is obvious that KI's initial handling of this case was insufficient and inadequate on several points. Since her romance with Paolo imploded in 2015, the brunette beauty has continued working on documentaries and docuseries'. I mean my, I mean my jaw was on the floor. Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. After doing her own research, Alexander found that Pope Francis had just married 20 couples and began to believe it was possible after all. And it was, it was things like this all the time. I loved my life at NBC. Yeah. Previously, Benita Alexander had created a documentary called He Lied About Everything, where she opened up about Paulo Macchiarini and how she got love conned by him. [00:19:01] Bob: It's just making it harder for every man in the world. Anyone that knows anything about private schools in New York knows how hard that is. Benita Alexander and Paolo Macchiarini fall in love Alexander, an award-winning documentary TV producer, met Macchiarini in 2013 while working on a story about the surgeon's pioneering work. What did he do this time?" She was able to get the Vatican to verify that he had never been the pope's personal doctor. After sweeping Alexander off her feet by taking her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the world for months, Macchiarini proposed. It's, it's a very um, it has a lot of stature, that building and a lot of meaning. Mathias Corbascio, another cardiothoracic surgeon who worked at the Karolinska Institute at the time, said the intensive care unit doctor responsible for her care began consulting with him on the literature written by Macchiarini on tracheal replacements. That makes me crazy. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. If I had a checklist, he, he was everything I would want in a partner, everything you would want in a man. And as they ride the motorcycle away from the river, the magic carpet ride takes off. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Macchiarini had been credited with developing innovative surgical techniques using stem cells in synthetic trachea transplants. [00:36:51] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, yes, oh my gosh. And it's Paolo who helps Benita figure out the best way to say goodbye. As a journalist, Alexander knew she couldn't get involved with the subject of her story. [00:13:10] Benita: When I met Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, and when I was working on this story, I was at an extremely vulnerable place in my life. I mean most 8-year-olds will change their minds, you know, many times, but I never changed. [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. It was eight months later when they became properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $100K ring. Eventually, she died. He was put on trial after his patients reportedly suffered bodily harm during his experimental surgeries but he always denied any criminal wrongdoing. "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. So this is not really out of the realm of possibility that he would have contacts at the Vatican. This very personal film, which Benita narrates herself, documents how her fairytale romance with a world-renowned surgeon turns into a nightmare. And everybody was sort of envious in a, in a sweet way, you know, everybody would say to me, "I want what you have." I did not think that by pulling that thread, we would completely undo the sweater.". "He and I started going to dinners and I was kind of pouring my heart out to him about all this stuff. How do we, how do we tell this story? [00:23:10] Bo Lindquist: The first time was in Stockholm at the Karolinska Institute. And we finally decided that we would live in Barcelona. Alexander, an award-winning documentary TV producer, met Macchiarini in 2013 while working on a story about the surgeon's pioneering work transplanting synthetic tracheas, or windpipes. "I was angry as hell. 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. I don't know if I was nervous. One name kept coming up over and over again, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. Her first marriage was to fellow journalist John Noel. Alexander, who said she'd become close to the girl's family, was "devastated," and that Macchiarini was "depressed" about it, as they both had become attached to her. And it's presented to me by Paolo, it's not even about our wedding or about our love story. [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. He told her opera singer Andrea Bocelli would be singing in the church during their wedding and that John Legend would be playing the piano at their ceremony. 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. She had already spent good money on her wedding preparations. What is happening? "Then he said he had connections to the Vatican. View this post on Instagram And so we, we thought, you know, this is a perfect case to focus a story around, and so we started doing Hannah's story. 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. (chuckle). "The Experiments" told the stories of some of Maccharini's patients, including young mother Julia Tuulik, who damaged her trachea in a car accident. The Perfect ScamSMis a project of theAARP Fraud Watch Network, which equips consumers like you with the knowledge to give you power over scams. [00:00:34] Welcome back to The Perfect Scam. And this trip had been planned for a very long time. Benita and Macchiarini's wild relationship was featured in a special episode of ABC's 20/20 on Friday. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. A JOURNALIST revealed the chilling clue that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon as a "romance scammer.". [00:17:51] Bob: Their relationship blossoms quickly. Kind of like being in a fairy tale, you know. Her colleague had sent an article that said the pope would not be in Rome, or even Italy, on the day of their wedding. See production, box office & company info, Fatal Experiments: The Downfall of a Supersurgeon. And it came down to how are we going to accomplish doing all these pieces for this wedding that is going to be so high profile, so exclusive, I mean I've never heard of anything so, it was, I mean in my career I've experienced some great things; this was wow. 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 Documentary producer Benita Alexander thought it was love when her job introduced her to internationally renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. The qualified journalist then began working at a string of local television stations. Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. Well actually, dresses. You know this man adores you. I was torn up about it, and my last day at NBC was in May of 2015. Previously considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients' own stem cells as trachea . But this magic carpet ride takes so many twists and turns that well, you just have to hear them for yourself. [00:38:44] Benita: I should say this wedding turns into something akin to the wedding of the century. He responded wow,'" Benita claimed. And they kind of laughed. [00:21:22] Benita: Tragically, Hannah passed away, which was, um, just devastating. [00:25:28] Bo Lindquist: He was definitely prone to getting angry and, and could be quite violently. He was kind of a rebel. [00:02:54] Bob: Benita focused on emotional stories, many involving children in tragic circumstances. Alexander had already sent invitations to her closed ones. 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. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Yeah. With the celebrations set to last four days, Alexander had her dress designer make four different gowns. Um, you know, they come in and I'd say, "Welcome to your closet." The Karolinska Institute commissioned an external investigation into the allegations. 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. She said that in November 2014, they had planned a trip to California to spend Thanksgiving with her family, "and he had been really stressed in the weeks before, and he had been talking to me for some time about how there were people that were against him, and his 'enemies.'". [00:03:01] Benita: Yeah, one of the ones um, there was a father in New Jersey, whose wife had abducted their son to Brazil, parental abduction, which is when one parent takes the child, against the other parent's will to another country. I mean it was, I felt butterflies, you know. 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. Every time he took me on a trip, he just delighted in these, these big, over the top, elaborate surprises. Benita graduated magna cum laude from Wayne State University in Michigan, with a B.A in journalism. [00:34:35] Bob: The first step is working with Benita on ideas for the wedding dress. [00:01:28] Benita: I grew up in Australia, and I had an uncle, my mother's brother, who worked for Radio Free Europe. I loved everything about it, and to be sort of plunging into the unknown, even though I felt very secure with Paolo, happily in love. After Cetir's surgery, doctors say she had to undergo an additional 191 surgeries for other complications. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. "I wanted to get all the information that I could before I really confronted him.". And I was really wrestling with all of it. 5. You know, part of it is you meet so many different people that you would never meet otherwise, but when you can tell a story that actually makes a difference in someone's life, that, to me, that's one of the most beautiful things about journalism. She couldn't run around and play. Some even believed he'd win a Nobel Prize one day, according to author Stuart Ritchie. I'm kind of a control, you know, right, I'm kind of a control freak. But, she said he was in a "foul mood" the entire time they were there as he dealt with the continuing fallout from the allegations. [00:31:00] Bob: One of those nondisclosure agreements is signed by Matthew Christopher. He actually brought him home on Christmas Day, and he and I are still in touch. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Claiming he was in demand. "The woman in Barcelona was not his wife. He was listed as one of . I mean, and we didn't know what to do. 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. (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 . That's pretty unusual too. What to tell her. She was devasted to learn all the lies told by Macchiarini. 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. She'd been in the intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, and her health was still deteriorating. I see a woman and two kids," she said, adding that she knew about Paolo's wife in Italy. . She is currently the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the true crime series "Crimes Gone Viral," which airs on Investigation Discovery and is in its second season. 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. I couldn't fall apart because if he's lying to me like this, there's no way he's not lying in his medical and professional life.". It could go out the window. Prior to this, Benita spent 17 years in network television, producing long-form documentaries, breaking news, investigations, specials and hard news features for NBC. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. But her death was awful. Free online workshop! Alexander was in head over heels for Macchiarini. Capping off a whirlwind romance filled with gondola rides in Venice and quiet dinners in the Greek islands, she was promised a wedding in the Italian countryside officiated by the Pope himself. 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. [00:23:07] Bob: The first time you met him was where? 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. You are no longer 21 !!! I, I thought it was ridiculous. She finds that story in South Korea. [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. 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. [00:23:44] Bo Lindquist: Paolo was very well-dressed and very careful with his looks. I was like why, why are you videotaping me again. Paolo says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. She said she'd never fantasized about a "Prince Charming." It has led to extensive reform work internally at KI in order to improve and clarify a number of regulations and routines.". Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. I said, I just, I can't do this. So this is a lot of very heady information to take in, and he basically tells me that because hes the Popes private, personal doctor, um, and because this is such a progressive Pope, who has such a forward-thinking agenda, that the Pope a) wants to thank him for all the work hes done at the Vatican and for being his private doctor, and b) wants to use us for lack of a better term, as kind of a poster couple, so that by marrying two divorcees, you know, the Pope is going to use us to sort of open the doors of the Catholic church to allow divorcees to finally get married in a Catholic church. Her purpose for doing so is simple; to not only move on but also build a safe community for survivors like her a place where theres self-healing through sharing and unconditional support. Alexander felt compelled to cancel the wedding, yet while she tried to figure out the extent to which Macchiarini had lied, she said she let him think they would still marry one day. My then ex-husband, who I had moved to New York with and the father of our beautiful daughter, was dying of brain cancer. '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. [00:35:53] Bob: And while the dresses are being made, while the other wedding preparations are underway, Matthew meets Paolo. [00:40:30] Benita: Paolo lived in Barcelona, and so we had talked about what were we going to do after the wedding. Um, and so he had, we were coming back into the room after dinner one night, and I was kind of teasing him. In need of a lung transplant, doctors arranged to transfer her to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. He proposed to Alexander on Christmas in 2013 and she said yes. And Paolo had said to me, "You, you need to find a way to say good-bye to him," and he said, "I'll help you." [00:34:26] Matthew Christopher: You put your, I am going to make the most gorgeous dress you've ever seen. And each surprise was a bigger wow factor than the last one. He soon proposed, only for her to realize her fianc was a complete liar around a year later. I was just giddy with happiness. Not, not that kind of just instant, immediate spark. 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. [00:42:58] Bob: If you have been targeted by a scam or fraud, you are not alone. Um, which is just something I never thought I would do, you know. She is currently the voice of the true crime series "Still A Mystery" on Investigation Discovery, and she has narrated four seasons of this ongoing, multi part show. "I couldn't fall apart because I am a single mother with a daughter who needs me. And one of those really, really tight embraces. I literally felt like I was floating on clouds. 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. Alexander was working on a documentary about Macchiarini's success in the medical field. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Dashing, successful and charming, Macchiarini, she thought, was the perfect man for her. Alexander then married, Edson Jeune, a ballroom dancer. What do they discover?
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