Nigella Lawson took charge of her questioning in PA's fraud case In the witness box for the second day ... Television chef Nigella Lawson leaves Isleworth Crown Court in London, on December 4, 2013, after giving evidence in a case in which her two personal assistants (Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo) are accused of defrauding her and former husband Charles Saatchi. NIGELLA Lawson strode into court meaning business. The 53-year-old Lawson physically rolled her sleeves up, dropped her bag at her feet and when asked if she would sit to give evidence she shook her huge mane of hair and declared she would prefer to stand. This was her judicial kitchen and she wanted to send a message - she was going to stand at that bench until this matter was done. She was not going to shirk from her responsibilities, "it's my duty to be here" she declared - and she was not going to take any nonsense from anyone, least of all defence counsel Anthony Metzer QC. She corrected him on numerous occasions when he mispronounced a name, admonished him for his claims and getting things wrong and accused him of stereotyping her as a woman of the house and he lacking domesticity. When he accidentally called her "Miss Saatchi" she said, perhaps in a tone a bit louder than she meant - "what did you call me?" To which he apologised, sorry Ms Lawson, and looked back down at his papers. She even a few times asked him to ask her questions directly and creeping up and also trying to distance her fro "normal" people with his celebrity tone. "Stop creeping up and just ask me a question," she even demanded of a clearly flustered Metzer. Slightly ma'amish in her heavy rimmed glasses and with her quips - such as "where there is not a receipt culture there is a deceit culture," - but mostly unapologetic for her clearly extravagant lifestyle including hair salons, spas, trips and food. Only the latter did she concede: "I am guilty of being extravagant on food," she said unapologetic." There were other Nigella gems too. Her staff called themselves Team Cupcake, her ex Charles Saatchi bought expensive wines from an exclusive club that don't allow women members because they couldn't guarantee they wouldn't be prostitutes and she gave in detail evidence of huge personal family expenditure from buying last minute tickets to Kanye West, to throwing lavish parties costing over $80,000 at a time. A rare look into the life of a multi-millionaire celebrity as we have never seen before. But then the questions turned to her drug use, her time with Saatchi and those infamous photos at the restaurant. Then we saw a more demure Lawson giving a very heartfelt description of the loss of her first husband, how his terminal cancer pushed her to drug use then her abusive marriage to Charles Saatchi. But her own admission: "I'm quite an open person so I tend to say what's on my mind" and she did yesterday. She described her "complex relationship" with the now 70-year-old former advertising guru and how she had to change her phone numbers and emails to shut him out. He had threatened her repeatedly she said before and after the marriage, "I try now not to react emotionally." He was menacing, had threatened to destroy her and was constantly bullying and was never known for his temperate behaviour. But contrary to reports the throat grabbing was not during a fight but a reaction of his to her looking forward to grandchildren and he saying he was the only one to give her pleasure. "I think he likes everyone to do what he wants," she said almost diplomatically as some in court looked shocked at her revelations. This was as close as the domestic goddess was going to go on apparent domestic abuse as she added there were good times and bad in her relationship "like most marriages." You can't step off the train once you are on ... Nigella Lawson leaves Isleworth Crown Court after giving evidence on December 4, 2013 in Isleworth, England. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images She also denied having a drug-induced permanent runny nose, leaving empty drug baggies on the toilet top of her home alongside half full teaspoons of white powder and 20 and 50 pound notes with white substances. And she certainly did not have drug dealers visit her home. She showed a mix of emotions from anger to sadness but rarely lost her composure even when her voice wavered. She just gripped the witness stand even tighter and forged on. After five hours standing in the witness box she couldn't hide her disappointment at being told she would have to return today to give evidence. But as she said, "you can't step off the train once you are on."