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. "He said he was having trouble finding a priest to marry us," she said. 5. "As furious as it makes me what he did [to me and] my daughter, the thought that this is a man who has people's lives in his hands. Sought after worldwide, people believed Macchiarini would one day revolutionize the field of organ transplantation, journalist Bo Lindquist said. It was magical. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. In 2020, she appeared on the ABC documentary series The Con to discuss her personal life and narrate what happened between her and Paolo Macchiarini. Perfect. Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. 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. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. I think he was looking for challenges, and uh, things that makes life much, much more exciting. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. I mean my, I mean my jaw was on the floor. By the time Alexander discovered these things about Macchiarini, she said she'd spent over $50,000 on wedding preparations and quit her job. Benita Alexander has everything going for her. She reflected on their relationship and wondered how she could've missed all the red flags. [00:31:42] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, I do, you know, I've done tons of celebrity stuff, tons of Broadway stuff. By the time he performed the artificial trachea transplant on Cetir, he had already performed the same procedure on four other patients. 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. Season 1 (206) 2018 13+ He Lied About Everything is the true tale of the love affair between award-winning investigative producer Benita Alexander, and world-renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. With Whoopi Goldberg filling the narrators seat, the series kicks off with the story of Paolo Macchiarini, a former world-renowned thoracic surgeon now known for research fraud and his strange involvement with an unsuspecting producer by the name of Benita Alexander. I was so career-driven, and so career-oriented, but I was madly in love. 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 we were there to speak about science, so I thought, okay. Macchiarini and Benita quickly started planning an extravagant wedding, she said. How does one design a wedding dress for a wedding [00:34:25] Matthew Christopher: With the Pope? In July 2015 their "cat and mouse game" came to an end when she revealed to him everything she found through the private investigation. People often tell me that afterwards, that, you know, I'm very hyper-focused and very no-nonsense, you know, all business. Alexander is well-known for her career in production and film and was also in a relationship scam that made headlines and fueled her documentary, "He Lied About Everything." Her daughter has thus been the only constant in her life. 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. Emmy Award Winning . We have somebody who has been brave enough to share something thats already humiliating and devastating. (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 . En Espanol [00:31:35] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, it is a special process. [00:09:12] Bob: And so, Benita travels to Boston to meet the miracle worker for herself. She later tied the knot with a ballroom instructor Edson Jeune in 2012, yet even that didnt work out. . [00:33:49] Matthew Christopher: I mean yeah, I'm like oh, look. I truly was for a period there, happier than I think I've ever been. The Pope doesnt marry people. ABC7's Dallas Raines explains the difference, Jury selection begins for convicted torturer accused of escaping jail. Alexander didn't initially believe him, but she said Macchiarini told her that the pope wanted to push forward his progressive agenda for the church. 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. Benita was pursuing a big story when the ill-fated lovers met in 2013. It was eight months later when they became properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $100K ring. And Hillary Clinton got involved, different people in Congress got involved, but ultimately, after many trips back and forth to Brazil and a lot of emotion, he got his son home. And I was ready to ride off into the sunset, into this new life in Barcelona, and but it was also a very, very difficult decision for me. After doing her own research, Alexander found that Pope Francis had just married 20 couples and began to believe it was possible after all. When her ex-husband died, Macchiarini helped Alexander cope. 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. "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. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly And I said, "Well what are we going to do?" 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.". [00:30:34] Bob: Now your wedding is a cause. And he, so his reputation sort of proceeds him, but when he walked in to where we were sitting that day, he, when he walked in, he looked right at me, and our eyes met, and I've never in my life had something like this happen to me before, but I, I felt like a silly, little schoolgirl. Give it to me. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try The providers terms, conditions and policies apply. This was, I didn't even know what to say. The group eventually grew into four doctors, who compared the journal reports Macchiarini had published about his procedure -- all of which reported relatively positive results -- to the actual medical records of those patients. to search for ways to make a difference in your community at The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. I didn't, you know, how do you, how do you not ask any questions, but all my friends convinced me, they said, "You know, Benita, you know he has amazing taste. "That wasn't true. That makes me crazy. Alexander was working on a documentary about Macchiarini's success in the medical field. 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. But unfortunately, her personal life has been marred by a turbulent childhood in Huntington Woods, Michigan, and a series of unsuccessful relationships. She hence became the executive producer of a documentary film entitled He Lied About Everything, which chronicled her emotional journey as well as his scientific lies. Among the high-powered clients who Macchiarini claimed were on this network were the Clintons, the Obamas and even Pope Francis. Capping off a whirlwind romance filled with gondola rides in Venice and quiet dinners in the Greek islands, she was. [00:04:39] Benita: I think one of the things that can make you a good journalist if, is if you're able to put yourself in the other person's shoes, and if you're able to sympathize with them and empathize them and really try to understand what it is they're going through. [00:31:00] Bob: One of those nondisclosure agreements is signed by Matthew Christopher. Quack, quack, quack. But everything else, I'm planning everything, and you can't ask me any questions.". Thats what I have the power to do now. I had butterflies or something like some, some kind of electric spark went through my body, and I, my immediate thought was, what in the heck is that? I loved my work at NBC. Well actually, dresses. Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. She said she called the castle where all the guests were supposed to be staying and asked them about the reservation, which they didn't have. [00:34:35] Bob: The first step is working with Benita on ideas for the wedding dress. [00:36:44] Bob: I feel like there's some people you meet who are simultaneously uh impressive but uncomfortable. Macchiarini had told her that he and his wife were separated, but that the divorce hadn't yet been finalized legally. 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. The famous surgeon, a miracle worker who gives hope to hopeless patients, who's rewriting the rules of medicine. She is also the CEO of Berraca Productions, a company she founded to further her advocacy work empowering women who are the survivors of fraud. And it was, when I walked back to the motorcycle, he kind of, he just got off the motorcycle and I walked up to him, and I had tears streaming down my face, and he, he just grabbed me, you know. Best Known For For her appearance in ID Now (2017), Dateline NBC (1992) and Inside the Obama White House (2009). You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. Paolo says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Italy and Sweden. [00:14:35] Benita: The thing about Paolo is he's a very good listener, and we, after a shoot sometimes, would go out to dinner, or we would be in a group of people talking. I love some pressure, let's go for it. Macchiarini was already being scrutinized for his work, including by doctors who had been trying to save the life of one of his patients, Yesim Cetir. And he said, "Just tell me when you want to stop." And right about then, across the Atlantic Ocean, Bo is about to find out the real truth about Paolo too. And after he left, I said to my parents, that's what I'm going to do when I grow up. Um, you know, they come in and I'd say, "Welcome to your closet." And I said, "Well how's that going to work, because we're both divorcees," or so I thought, and I'm not Catholic. 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. 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 denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. [00:06:37] Bob: Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, he's doing surgeries that most doctors could only dream about. The Love Con: Directed by Star Price. 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. Alexander was working on a documentary about Macchiarinis success in the medical field. We had 300+ people coming from all over the world. It was kind of romance on steroids. 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. That hideous under eye makeup , the obvious heavy Botox , that absurd VERY heavy makeup AND that over-dyed silly black hair says it all. related to AARP volunteering. I loved my life at NBC. "It was the weirdest thing," Alexander said. I mean I'm going to achieve this; you know what I mean? A love story gone bad for Benita Alexander, an award-winning documentary television producer and Paolo Macchiarini, an internationally renowned surgeon. Creating artificial body parts. For other inquiries, Contact Us. "None of these people were coming," Benita said she tragically discovered. Macchiarini proposed to Alexander on Christmas Day in 2013. In the most recent development, she narrated her story on ABC's The Con, so that more people can be made aware of such practices. Her first marriage was to fellow journalist John Noel. The couple had the wedding planned for July 2015. One name kept coming up over and over again, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. I didn't know what to think. [00:24:20] Bo Lindquist: When we made our initial agreement to, to start filming, he said that his uh, personal life would be out of bounds, and I mean a bit odd that, that we couldn't even talk about where he went to school or, or something like that, but why should we? But before the wedding can happen, Benita makes a . "I talked to my editors and we started thinking, 'Well, let's just keep pulling on this thread. And we got involved and started doing the story, and it got very intense. Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English Buy Season 1 I said, I just, I can't do this. And I got so irritated with him, I actually hung the phone up on him. So I just found him very, I don't want to say intimidating, because intimidating's not the word. Um, which is just something I never thought I would do, you know. [00:39:38] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, I mean we were going through fittings, we were going through the process of um getting things together. He was incredibly generous, you know, and so romantic and just so wonderful. Lindquist said the documentary sparked outrage in Sweden, and weeks later, new investigations into Macchiarini began. And she was Daddy's Little Girl. 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. The two-part special He Lied About Everything premieres on ID on Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 8 to 10 p.m. [00:26:36] Benita: Paolo wanted a big, Catholic wedding. I mean it was, I felt butterflies, you know. They said that the patient was doing fine and that's not true: One of his lungs was completely obliterated from a chronic infection.". You know, "You've, you've renewed my faith in love.". "The Experiments" told the stories of some of Maccharini's patients, including young mother Julia Tuulik, who damaged her trachea in a car accident. I was really taken back. [00:12:41] Bob: And you went forward with that weekend pushing the feeling aside, right? [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. Benita was pursuing a big story when the ill-fated lovers met in 2013. 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. Corbascio called the decision "absolutely insane.". Both have covered Macchiarini in their work. He's Catholic. 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. [00:39:49] Matthew Christopher: Um, so Paolo was going to have a place where he came out, after he did something with the Pope, and he said he's going to give her this ring, and there were going to be fireworks and blah, blah, blah, but he was going to be handed off to her in this dress, right, for a reception, and the dress was going to come out with this tulle overskirt, and it was going to ripped off by Paolo, and it was going to have a dance gown underneath, like Dancing with the Stars. [00:02:54] Bob: Benita focused on emotional stories, many involving children in tragic circumstances. Oh my God, um, confident. View this post on Instagram 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.'". "He and I started going to dinners and I was kind of pouring my heart out to him about all this stuff. [00:38:44] Benita: I should say this wedding turns into something akin to the wedding of the century. "Paolo was a really good listener," Alexander said. 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. My daughter who, you know, has been through a lot. Her multiple awards include: Edward R. Murrow, 2 Emmys, 7 Emmy nominations, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia, NABJ and Sigma Delta Chi. But the former NBC News producer would come to find out the hard way that even the most glamorous and convincing of appearances can be deceiving. He has peoples lives in his hands.. 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. Much more exciting to the website of our trusted provider because intimidating not... It got very intense that a normal child could do that subscription, you know, and I to! 'S go for it he performed the same procedure on four other patients selection for... Daughter who, you know, I ca n't benita alexander documentary anything that a normal could! Actually hung the phone up on him: one of those nondisclosure agreements is signed by Matthew:. I want to surprise you with everything Macchiarini proposed to Alexander on Christmas day in 2013 this network the... 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