As a producer, for me that was next to impossible. 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. If I had a checklist, he, he was everything I would want in a partner, everything you would want in a man. 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. Her multiple awards include: Edward R. Murrow, 2 Emmys, 7 Emmy nominations, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia, NABJ and Sigma Delta Chi. The 56-year-old actually has a podcast appropriately titled Benita & the Berracas for the same, and she continues to be an active advocate on the matter. He was giving people who had no other hope. He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Italy and Sweden. She was 100% Daddy's Little Girl, and he utterly adored her. Star Benita Alexander-Noel See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 12 User reviews Photos Add photo [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. [00:08:01] 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. When Benita Alexander eventually realized her whole relationship with Dr. Paolo Macchiarini was nothing short of a scam, she decided she wanted the world to know the truth about him. I had tried, at one point I pushed him away, and we didn't see each other for about three months. He speaks 5 or 6 languages, and he works all over the world, and you know, dresses very beautifully. ET on ABC. "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. And it's a beautiful building, and it just has this feeling about it, you know, as you, it's a very special feeling too. 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? And as they ride the motorcycle away from the river, the magic carpet ride takes off. He was a flair for the dramatic and plans one romantic encounter after another. He was put on trial after his patients reportedly suffered bodily harm during his experimental surgeries but he always denied any criminal wrongdoing. 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 then um, (sigh) oh her sisters, the two bridesmaids, and then two flower girl dresses. View this post on Instagram [00:04:24] Benita: Right, yeah, and they're not always happy endings, and you do, you, unfortunately, you know, you report on a lot of very, very difficult things in news. 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. I think he needs to be behind bars. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. You know we went on this incredibly romantic trip to Greece, and he was always videotaping me. 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. It was an excellent place. ", Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, What is graupel? He is Italian. ", "As devastated as I was and as much as I wanted to crawl under the covers and hide and stay there, I knew I couldn't fall apart," she said. ABC7's Dallas Raines explains the difference, Jury selection begins for convicted torturer accused of escaping jail. Their guest list, Alexander said, included Elton John, the Beckhams, the Obamas, the Clintons and Russell Crowe. Benita is the Executive Producer of the documentary film, He Lied About Everything, which premiered in the U.S. in 2018 on Investigation Discovery, and continues to be broadcast around the world. 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. What to tell her. So he was very interesting and very fascinating and also because he was a pioneer, and he was pushing the envelope, you know, he was a little bit, a little bit radical, but doing, he was taking chances that nobody else would, and we actually need people like that in medicine. NBC News is pulling "A Leap of Faith" Meredith Vieira's documentary on controversial . The way he used stem cells with his plastic tracheas would eventually develop into something quite extraordinary where you could use stem cells to target organs or other areas of the body where the, where there was a medical problem. Benita is still wearing the second ring throughout the documentary! Um, she was being brought to Illinois, the Children's Hospital of Illinois because a Korean nurse there had found Hannah in the hospital in Seoul and had sort of lobbied to bring her to the US. [00:21:22] Benita: Tragically, Hannah passed away, which was, um, just devastating. [00:38:37] Bob: But even without asking any questions, one thing is clear, this wedding is going to be big. Benita Alexander attended Wayne State University, where she studied journalism. Alexander then married, Edson Jeune, a ballroom dancer. [00:12:57] Bob: And there is another reason Benita must focus on her work at the time. Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. 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. And that's where we met for the first time. 5. By what name was He Lied About Everything (2018) officially released in Canada in English? I loved my life at NBC. [00:41:50] Benita: The day after I quit my job, I got an email from a colleague and the headline just said, "The Pope." And I said, "Well what are we going to do?" Paolo Macchiarini proposes to Benita Alexander before leaving US for work: Part 2Alexander seemed to be living a fantasy lifestyle. Hosted by Benita Alexander. He also directed ABC News to a list of reforms the Institute was implementing in the wake of the scandal. That was insane. Instead, he says their underlying health conditions were fatal and may have been a factor in their deaths. This very personal film, which Benita narrates herself, documents how her fairytale romance with a world-renowned surgeon turns into a nightmare. Documentary 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. He was incredibly generous, you know, and so romantic and just so wonderful. In mid-2013, they became a couple and in December that year they became pre-engaged as Macchiarini, who lived in Barcelona, Spain, said he was still legally married with two children but had been separated for a long time and was filing for divorce. [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. 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. 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. 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! And I just thought, okay, you've got some stupid little schoolgirl crush on this doctor, which is absurd. Oh, and a dance gown too, that was crazy fun. Benita Alexander, an award-winning documentary television producer and single mother, shares her story in ABC's "The Con." ABC News At the time, Macchiarini was employed by the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden. After Cetir's surgery, doctors say she had to undergo an additional 191 surgeries for other complications. Benita has spoken about her experience in numerous national and international TV and radio programs. 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. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. It was, it was really, really difficult. I love some pressure, let's go for it. Along the way he promises her a fairy tale wedding to be officiated by the Pope. 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. "He [the Pope] wanted to use us as the poster couple for the Catholic church, to prove people who are divorced can get married in the Catholic church.". She is honestly proud of how far she has come (as she should be), and its evident shell never let anything or anyone take this journey/narrative away from her. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The two-part special details how Alexander, an award-winning investigative news producer, met Dr. Paolo Macchiarini while she was producing an NBC News special about the renowned surgeons work in the field of regenerative medicine. If I had a checklist, he, he was everything I would want in a partner, everything you would want in a man. By the time he performed the artificial trachea transplant on Cetir, he had already performed the same procedure on four other patients. They set their wedding for 11 July 2015 in Rome. This was worldwide. How do we, how do we tell this story? We had 300+ people coming from all over the world. . [00:32:26] Bob: And so she comes in with a small team, right, and you all sit around a table, and what does she say to you? 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. Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. Benita Alexander's documentary chronicles her fairytale romance with a celebrity surgeon that turned into a scam. He actually brought him home on Christmas Day, and he and I are still in touch. A post shared by Benita Alexander (@loveconned). [00:36:44] Bob: I feel like there's some people you meet who are simultaneously uh impressive but uncomfortable. And whatever that is, let's, let's push that away, you know. She had spent her entire little life in the hospital, never left the hospital because she had a tube down her throat just to live. 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. 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. And we finally decided that we would live in Barcelona. And each surprise was a bigger wow factor than the last one. And I was, I was really moved by that. [00:31:56] Bob: Benita sees a dress made by Christopher in a New York City store, but it isn't quite right. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. We just made sure we took care of Benita. [00:00:01] Bob: This week on The Perfect Scam. What started as dream relationship developed into a nightmare filled with lies and deceit. 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. 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. But this magic carpet ride takes so many twists and turns that well, you just have to hear them for yourself. Journalist Benita Alexander is swept off her feet by a dashing Italian doctor, Paolo Macchiarini, while filming a documentary about his miraculous surgeries. Her first marriage was to fellow journalist John Noel. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. 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 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. 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. (chuckle). So it was uh, quite, quite in--, incredible or remarkable to, for those words to come out of her mouth. I didn't even, I, I, I stopped in hesitation. She said Macchiarini had told her that for their wedding, the Vatican had offered them the pope's summer residence in the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo. [00:02:54] Bob: Benita focused on emotional stories, many involving children in tragic circumstances. Paolo had actually told her that Pope Francis would be officiating their wedding and that celebrities such as Elton John, the Clintons, the Obamas, and the Beckhams, among many others, would be in attendance, and shed somehow believed him. And so we were looking into this field, and we found this doctor. I was so career-driven, and so career-oriented, but I was madly in love. And I said, "Well how's that going to work, because we're both divorcees," or so I thought, and I'm not Catholic. In 2013, the successful documentary producer met world-renowned, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini while working on a project for a major network. I mean it got to the point where he loved to surprise me, everywhere we went. 5 Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has. And then in radio, producing a radio talk show, and then in local television. Maybe help me, help with the invitations 'cause I don't want to deal with that. [00:33:22] Matthew Christopher: Right. The slip from "Prince Charming to pathological liar" took place over just two years, she said. 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. [00:33:44] Bob: And you, you had outfitted Broadway stars, famous people, but even for you this was a big deal. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And I had seen paperwork that he had done work at the Vatican, consulting work. 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. Alexander was assigned to work on the documentary about Paolo Macchiarini who has considered a pioneer in organ transplant. I loved my work at NBC. 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. So it was scary. Hearings are expected to begin in 2022. By the time Alexander discovered these things about Macchiarini, she said she'd spent over $50,000 on wedding preparations and quit her job. [00:34:17] Bob: Well, at some point you transition from wow to okay, I've got to get to work on this, right? Really moved by that that 's where we met for the dramatic and benita alexander documentary one encounter. Girl dresses was 100 % Daddy 's Little Girl, and he utterly her! 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