Updated

Nigella Lawson says she is not proud of her past drug use, but came clean to avoid being "bullied by lies" from her ex-husband.

Lawson told a London court that "I would rather be honest and ashamed" than let false allegations stand.

The celebrity chef testified for a second day Thursday at the fraud trial of two former assistants.

The case has been overshadowed by revelations about the troubled relationship between Lawson and ex-husband Charles Saatchi. They divorced in July after Saatchi was photographed grabbing Lawson's throat outside a London restaurant.

Lawyers for former employees Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo allege that Lawson sanctioned their high spending in exchange for their silence about her drug use.

On Wednesday, Lawson said she had taken cocaine but denied being a habitual drug user.