From what we can tell, Benita still resides in New York alongside her daughter, where shes primarily a freelance executive producer for Lion Television, all the while serving as a public figure. [00:01:54] Bob: Benita didn't start her career working for a larger network in New York. Previously, Benita Alexander had created a documentary called He Lied About Everything, where she opened up about Paulo Macchiarini and how she got love conned by him. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. It was going to be this four-day event in Rome, you know, with a red carpet event the night before the wedding, and a big brunch the day after the wedding, and people bought plane tickets, they bought fancy, you know, red carpet attire for this wedding. And, and so we pivoted the story a bit to make it a little bit more about some of Paolo's other patients and more about, you know the field of regenerative medicine. She graduated magna cum laude from WSU with a degree in journalism in 1987. It really affects you. Then, one morning, she read in The New York Times that Macchiarini's colleagues at the Karolinska Institute had accused him of scientific misconduct and filed a complaint with the university. It was eight months later when they became properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $100K ring. "He was a top doctor, he spoke six or seven languages. Alexander was assigned to work on the documentary about Paolo Macchiarini who has considered a pioneer in organ transplant. Macchiarini had told her that he and his wife were separated, but that the divorce hadn't yet been finalized legally. 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. I was so conflicted about it. Cetir came to Macchiarini's attention after undergoing an elective procedure to correct a condition that caused excessive sweating. 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. 'People Magazine Investigates' Features Man's 24-Year Wrongful Prison Sentence: 'Never Thought It Could Happen', Revisit PEOPLE's 2002 Conversation with Michael Peterson, Whose Wife's Death Inspired HBO Max's 'The Staircase', Witnesses Describe Horror of Buffalo Mass Shooting: 'I'll Have This in My Head for the Rest of My Life', Private Investigator Who Looked for Sherri Papini Speaks Out About Her Arrest: 'I've Been Hoaxed', Gabby Petito's Family Opens Up About Her Murder in New Peacock Documentary Watch the Trailer, Mom's Discovery of Son's Severed Head in Bucket Leads to Murder Charge for Wisconsin Woman, Roundtable Discussion on Gabby Petito's Death Spotlights Media's Coverage of Missing Persons Cases. [00:36:44] Bob: I feel like there's some people you meet who are simultaneously uh impressive but uncomfortable. You know, the equivalent of going to a drugstore and buying whatever, you, they, the idea is ultimately we'll get to the point that, you know, you have a failing organ or you lose a body part, you just order up a new one. ", Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, What is graupel? 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In February, 2021 it was featured as a two-hour special on ABCs 20/20. Her story is now featured as the third season of Wondery's hit podcast, "Dr. "He didnt know Pope Francis, he wasnt his personal doctor.". As a producer, for me that was next to impossible. [00:17:51] Bob: Their relationship blossoms quickly. [00:31:56] Bob: Benita sees a dress made by Christopher in a New York City store, but it isn't quite right. Benita met and married a fellow reporter, John Noel, and moved with him to New York, where they welcomed their daughter in 2003. I mean we were there to speak about science, so I thought, okay. This was, I didn't even know what to say. Firstly , on a personal observation , girl , you absolutely need a makeover. They live in the same area outside Florence. Alexander had already sent invitations to her closed ones. [00:02:26] Bob: I remember walking into 30 Rock thinking it was the equivalent of walking into Yankee Stadium or something. Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. I loved everything about it, and to be sort of plunging into the unknown, even though I felt very secure with Paolo, happily in love. 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. She soon discovered that as she lived an apparent fairy tale romance -- with someone who not only seemed to care for her and her daughter but also lavished her with expensive gifts and trips -- others were already searching for the truth about Macchiarini. "I couldn't fall apart because I am a single mother with a daughter who needs me. Benita has become a recognized love conned expert and along with speaking engagements, she is a regular guest correspondent on "The Dr. Oz Show." And I open the door, and there's a trail of rose petals leading up to the bed, and it says "I love you" in rose petals on the bed. He had told her, as personal surgeon to the Pope, the leader of the Catholic church wanted to marry the couple, she explained. 5. A successful TV journalist, the single mother-of-one was interviewing him for a report on cutting-edge medicine. And [00:14:24] Bob: It feels natural for Benita to share the family struggle with this world famous surgeon, a man who had spent his career cheating death, or trying anyway. Benita and Macchiarini's wild relationship was featured in a special episode of ABC's 20/20 on Friday. So it was scary. Lindquist said the documentary sparked outrage in Sweden, and weeks later, new investigations into Macchiarini began. But there was something, yeah, something happened between us the, the moment we met. He was kind of a rebel. She said one question was heavy on her mind: "Why did you do this to me, why would you do that to anybody? Since her romance with Paolo imploded in 2015, the brunette beauty has continued working on documentaries and docuseries'. 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. 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. She'd been in the intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, and her health was still deteriorating. So it was uh, quite, quite in--, incredible or remarkable to, for those words to come out of her mouth. again. And I was, I was really moved by that. Alexander then married, Edson Jeune, a ballroom dancer. [00:18:58] Bob: I love you in rose petals on the bed. But our guest list was insane because now that the Pope was marrying us, he kept inviting all these dignitaries, you know, so world leaders were coming to our wedding. And so I was sort of, by becoming involved with him and by falling in love with him, I was breaking this cardinal rule in journalism that you don't get involved with a subject of your story, and even though when we did fall in love, it was, we were at the end of the production of the story, we kept it quiet because of that. Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. One name kept coming up over and over again, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. But everything else, I'm planning everything, and you can't ask me any questions." 5 Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has revealed chilling clues that disclosed her lover and famed surgeon Paolo Macchiarini as a "romance scammer" Credit: Instagram / loveconned 5 And basically giving up everything. "I made a very strategic decision to start playing a cat-and-mouse game, basically," she said. In July 2015 their "cat and mouse game" came to an end when she revealed to him everything she found through the private investigation. [00:09:12] Bob: And so, Benita travels to Boston to meet the miracle worker for herself. Alexander hired a private investigator to investigate all the secrets and lies about Macchiarini. He was speaking at a conference in Boston, and we went there to interview him, sort of ahead of Hannah coming to the US, about his work and about Hannah. I mean it was crazy. In 2019, she produced the Oxygen doc Seduced By Evil, which chronicles another con-man, Derek Alldred. 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. Excellent place. [00:31:00] Bob: One of those nondisclosure agreements is signed by Matthew Christopher. [00:12:57] Bob: And there is another reason Benita must focus on her work at the time. 5 Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has. Oh my God, um, confident. En Espanol Nobody, except my closest friends and family, knew about the Pope because we weren't allowed to talk about it, but they knew that was a big VIP wedding. And I got so irritated with him, I actually hung the phone up on him. For other inquiries, Contact Us. related to AARP volunteering. "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. 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! He has been convicted of research-related crimes in Italy and Sweden. "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. 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. In September 2020, Swedish prosecutors announced charges against Macchiarini for aggravated assault in connection to three surgeries that he had performed at the Karolinska University Hospital, including Cetir's. Best Known For For her appearance in ID Now (2017), Dateline NBC (1992) and Inside the Obama White House (2009). [00:24:45] Bo Lindquist: I mean he basically said that he was going to revolutionize medicine, and, and not just invent a new kind of a trachea or a new kind of transplant, but actually revolutionize surgery. He never did that with me, but I, I've, I have seen him really being quite, quite unpleasant with um, PhDs and people who were sort of subordinate. He spent months supposedly going to different churches in Italy, and he would send me pictures of these places, and all these details, and asked me if I liked them or not. But before the wedding can happen, Benita makes a discovery that may prove the doctor is not all he claims to be. Benita Alexander grew up like a regular American kid. If I had a checklist, he, he was everything I would want in a partner, everything you would want in a man. [00:31:35] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, it is a special process. [00:35:38] Bob: I mean it sounds like that could cost an infinity if you wanted it to. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. In 2015, Alexander sent emails to the Karolinska Institute expressing concerns about the acclaimed surgeon. Macchiarini convinced Alexander that the Obamas, the Clintons, the Beckhams, Elton John, and John Legend were few of many personalities to attend their wedding. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails I mean my, I mean my jaw was on the floor. Death podcast. Yeah. With Whoopi Goldberg. ", Alexander, who waited in the car, said that the last time she saw Macchiarini, he had turned around and walked back up the stairs. 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. [00:33:22] Matthew Christopher: Right. It does make it difficult sometimes, because you, some stories are so heavy and so difficult, and I would sometimes, it would take me weeks sometimes to sort of shake a story, and people would sit with me, and their stories would sit with me for a long, long time. 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. And it's Paolo who helps Benita figure out the best way to say goodbye. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. Meanwhile, the investigation into Macchiarini's professional life was ramping up -- the Karolinska Institute was investigating whether he'd fabricated aspects of his medical research. 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. Kind of like being in a fairy tale, you know. He was a flair for the dramatic and plans one romantic encounter after another. After sweeping Alexander off her feet by taking her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the world for months, Macchiarini proposed. [00:41:47] Bob: But not as scary as what happens next. [00:05:31] Bob: Benita worked on several stories about medical miracles, and at the time, there was one kind of medical miracle that just kept coming up. I want, I just want to get the job done. I was torn up about it, and my last day at NBC was in May of 2015. The happy couple start planning their wedding in earnest, and well, we already know Paolo likes a challenge. She started her career at a local news station before moving on to work at NBC in New York. She works in Rockefeller Center and flies all around the world, and on one of these trip, she meets the man of her dreams. Previously considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients' own stem cells as trachea . And we first met in early 2013. After relocating to New York, Benita worked for NBC and was featured in NBC's documentary "A Leap of Faith" in 2013. [00:31:32] Bob: I mean that sounds like a very special process. And we got involved and started doing the story, and it got very intense. The two-part special He Lied About Everything premieres on ID on Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 8 to 10 p.m. It was, it was a huge change and a huge change for my daughter. Has considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients #..., 2021 it was featured in a special episode of ABC 's 20/20 on Friday or languages... Call the AARP Fraud Watch network Helpline at 877-908-3360, for me that was to. Undergoing an elective procedure to correct a condition that caused excessive sweating next to impossible Karolinska expressing... 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