[00:19:03] Benita: (laugh) Yeah, yep, yeah. Uh, I think he actually appreciated being challenged to an extent. How do we, how do we tell this story? Benita Alexander attended Wayne State University, where she studied journalism. I loved my work at NBC. Macchiarini proposed to Alexander on Christmas Day in 2013. "He was a good listener and gave me sage and solid advice.". 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. A JOURNALIST revealed the chilling clue that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon as a "romance scammer.". Alexander said that day marked the beginning of their relationship. I see a woman and two kids," she said, adding that she knew about Paolo's wife in Italy. Fans can also watch He Lied About Everything on InvestigationDiscovery.com. I mean it was crazy. [00:31:09] Matthew Christopher: Um, a couture wedding gown designer is someone that actually design gowns from beginning to end, whether that's draping, whether that's sketching; couture means it's handmade. Perfect. All of this was happening around the same time that Alexander was preparing to share her own story publicly for the first time in a Vanity Fair article. But Benita's intuition overtook her and she hired a private investigator to look into the surreal wedding. He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Italy and Sweden. As these events were unfolding, Maccharini allowed Lindquist to follow him for a documentary film. 5. And these were all couples that were quote-unquote living in sin, you know, they had children out of wedlock, or whatever. [00:25:28] Bo Lindquist: He was definitely prone to getting angry and, and could be quite violently. Paolo showers Benita with affection. It's a very aggressive form of brain cancer. [00:26:36] Benita: Paolo wanted a big, Catholic wedding. [00:25:58] Bo Lindquist: I think he liked the challenge. She was devasted to learn all the lies told by Macchiarini. [00:31:35] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, it is a special process. 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. But on the afternoon that she met him, a day before she was supposed to begin filming him, something happened that gave her pause. Well actually, dresses. My daughter who, you know, has been through a lot. On your mark, get set, go. She said she later sent a lengthy text message to him, and received a single-word response: "Wow! And it's, I was proud to work there. 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'm, you know, I like, I like information. The Love Con: Directed by Star Price. In fact, the scientist was embroiled in lawsuits and accusations at work. I mean I'm going to achieve this; you know what I mean? ", Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, What is graupel? [00:15:28] Bob: As Hannah's story becomes more intense, the news on Benita's ex-husband, John, gets worse. Macchiarini had been credited with developing innovative surgical techniques using stem cells in synthetic trachea transplants. Which sounds a bit absurd, however, he is an Italian surgeon. And it was so fun to work with, with all of them, you know, anybody that, and they have private appointments that wanted to come in. They become engaged and plan a lavish dream wedding, to be attended by celebrities and officiated by none other than Pope Francis himself. 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. I think he needs to be behind bars. "He didnt know Pope Francis, he wasnt his personal doctor.". 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. [00:01:59] Benita: I had worked my way up from working in, from tiny little newspapers in Detroit, Michigan, which is where I went to college and where I'd, my family had moved after Australia. Be sure to find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 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. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. "I was angry as hell. Benita Alexander is an award-winning investigative television producer, showrunner, correspondent, director, writer and narrator who has worked on a wide variety of film and TV programs. 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. 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. And that frees up Benita to go public about their relationship. And so there was a lot of palpable excitement about this wedding, you know, people were really eager and excited for this wedding. 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. Maybe help me, help with the invitations 'cause I don't want to deal with that. "He said he was having trouble finding a priest to marry us," she said. And uh I decided to, to take his favorite flowers, birds of--, bird of paradise, and I ended up going to a flower shop and getting three birds of paradise; one for me, my, one for my daughter, and one for John, and Paolo um, loved motorcycles, and we had been shooting him on a motorcycle. "He and I started going to dinners and I was kind of pouring my heart out to him about all this stuff. The happy couple start planning their wedding in earnest, and well, we already know Paolo likes a challenge. Benita Alexander-Jeune started her career as a journalist for a few minor television stations. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. 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. With the preparations nearly finished, Benita decides to take maybe the toughest step she's ever taken in her 20-year career as a journalist. [00:12:46] Benita: Oh yeah, no, I immediately just sort of shoved it down and thought whatever that was, it was, it was silly, and uh, let's forget about that. Both have covered Macchiarini in their work. The Perfect ScamSMis a project of theAARP Fraud Watch Network, which equips consumers like you with the knowledge to give you power over scams. She found out exactly what hed lied about - and she said it was extensive. 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. This is a surgeon. A love story gone bad for Benita Alexander, an award-winning documentary television producer and Paolo Macchiarini, an internationally renowned surgeon. It was magical. [00:12:57] Bob: And there is another reason Benita must focus on her work at the time. Quack, quack, quack. "When I started reading specifically the papers that Paolo himself had written, then we could quite quickly come to the conclusion that what was written in the papers was not what was going on in reality," Corbascio said. If your response is to point a finger at a victim, thats really sad. The personal relationship between Alexander and Macchiarini continued to blossom. I didn't even, I, I, I stopped in hesitation. They said that the patient was doing fine and that's not true: One of his lungs was completely obliterated from a chronic infection.". She started her career at a local news station before moving on to work at NBC in New York. So I just found him very, I don't want to say intimidating, because intimidating's not the word. 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. Free online workshop! In 2013, the successful documentary producer met world-renowned, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini while working on a project for a major network. 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. The couple divorced in 2009. [00:19:53] Bob: While the romance is intense, it's also very secretive. And somehow, when I read that email, I guess all those little red flags that I had been ignoring, the things that were eating at my gut, I just knew. It could go out the window. His work, if controversial, is also groundbreaking. I, I thought it was ridiculous. 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. So it was scary. 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. He gave me really sage, solid, kind advice.". She was taking an incredible risk by getting involved with Paolo. Death." The Karolinska Institute, which had renewed Macchiarini's contract in November 2015, launched another investigation into Macchiarini and reversed its previous conclusions -- Macchiarini was indeed guilty of scientific misconduct, the Institute determined. And whatever that is, let's, let's push that away, you know. 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. That was insane. "I, to this day, have no idea why he lied about our entire relationship.". "She had suffered at least two strokes; she had lost much of her vision, so she was partially blind; she couldn't walk," Pinto said. ET. With Whoopi Goldberg. What do they discover? Her daughter has thus been the only constant in her life. We just made sure we took care of Benita. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. It was kind of romance on steroids. [00:39:38] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, I mean we were going through fittings, we were going through the process of um getting things together. She had already spent good money on her wedding preparations. I want, I just want to get the job done. My friends and my family all adored him. [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. Macchiarini convinced Alexander that the Obamas, the Clintons, the Beckhams, Elton John, and John Legend were few of many personalities to attend their wedding. 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. [00:11:55] Bob: And how old were you then? 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. I was so conflicted about it. She was even more stunned when she began to realize that so much of what Macchiarini had told her about his personal and professional life was a lie. It was an excellent place. [00:06:46] Benita: And he was, as I said, called the super surgeon, and he was the pioneer in this field. Best Known For For her appearance in ID Now (2017), Dateline NBC (1992) and Inside the Obama White House (2009). 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. Bo has begun asking questions about this medical miracle worker, so had some fellow researchers. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails Um, and so he had, we were coming back into the room after dinner one night, and I was kind of teasing him. Um, maybe I felt like that at some point when I was really young and I had a, had a crush in school, I don't know, but I don't, I don't ever remember feeling like that. [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? Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English Buy Season 1 Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. [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. [00:23:10] Bo Lindquist: The first time was in Stockholm at the Karolinska Institute. Just like, oh, the dance dress was crazy. I want to focus on work. [00:36:07] Matthew Christopher: Confident, rico-suave, I am Paolo, ha-ha, and I'm like, okay, you know, I'm like am I nervous? 5. Her mother was Korean, and her dad, Canadian. [00:33:17] Bob: What he thinks is this is going to be an incredible challenge. And so we were looking into this field, and we found this doctor. I have to tell you, and I'm like, you know, I'm a very boisterous, fun guy, that's, you know, and very um, slap-happy fun, and I literally stopped in my tracks, and was like, "Huh?" 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. 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 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. After doing some digging, it transpired that Macchiarini was not the medical genius she thought he was. Benita Alexanders personal life story was part of the documentary film, He Lied About Everything. related to AARP volunteering. 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. 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