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 failing organ. [00:38:37] Bob: But even without asking any questions, one thing is clear, this wedding is going to be big. [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. She's a star producer for NBC News in New York, working alongside Meredith Viera creating primetime TV specials. And it's, I was proud to work there. Benita's story is also told on BBCs Outlook" podcast. 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. Her daughter has thus been the only constant in her life. 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. And so I thought, okay, maybe its not as crazy as it, as it sounds. 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. Come on. I thought he was playing some kind of silly game with me. A presence. Macchiarini.". She is an executive producer, narrator, writer and director known for her work in the true crime genre. I don't want you to do anything except find your dresses and just, all you have to do is show up and look beautiful. [00:31:56] Bob: Benita sees a dress made by Christopher in a New York City store, but it isn't quite right. Well actually, dresses. This is a surgeon. While Macchiarini continued to deny any wrongdoing, he lost his job at the Institute and Swedish prosecutors began looking into whether his behavior was criminal. "Paolo was a really good listener," Alexander said. I was there for about 20 minutes, and I, I tossed these flowers into the water, and I was, you know, very emotional in saying goodbye to John. In fact, we both worked for NBC in New York at the same time, but we didn't know each other then. Yeah. "From that moment on, it felt like my head was spinning," Alexander said, "and it didn't stop spinning.". 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 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 so now his son, who I think was about 8 or 9 at the time, was in Brazil with her family, and he was engaged in this very difficult and complicated fight to try and get his son back, and such a loving father. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. And a very, very good listener and was giving me very wise, sage advice, you know, about all these questions; what to tell her, how to tell her, and I was sort of soaking it all up, and I was very touched by the fact that this man seemed so incredibly altruistic. Maybe help me, help with the invitations 'cause I don't want to deal with that. "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. So he goes to the Vatican, ostensibly, to ask for help finding someone who will marry us, and he calls me after that meeting and says to me, tells me I need to sit down, um, he has good news, but I need to sit down. I couldn't fall apart because if he's lying to me like this, there's no way he's not lying in his medical and professional life.". [00:01:54] Bob: Benita didn't start her career working for a larger network in New York. And her parents were just distraught, you know, they wanted, they had been told she might live 6 or 7 years, and there's no cure. After Cetir's surgery, doctors say she had to undergo an additional 191 surgeries for other complications. As Alexander began to unravel the web of lies Macchiarini had told her, she began to wonder if the world-renowned thoracic surgeon had also misled people in his professional life. And I said, "Well how's that going to work, because we're both divorcees," or so I thought, and I'm not Catholic. [00:31:04] Matthew Christopher: I'm a couture wedding gown designer. Benita Alexander grew up like a regular American kid. Kind of like being in a fairy tale, you know. See the shocking new details about Paolo Macchiarini's alleged medical crimes, new interviews and new revelations Friday on "20/20" at 9 p.m. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. And he came to visit us in Australia, and I was just, I was only 8, but I was ab--, absolutely infatuated with what he was doing and asked him all these questions. You know he loves to surprise you. 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 before the wedding can happen, Benita makes a discovery that may prove the doctor is not all he claims to be. She'd been in the intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, and her health was still deteriorating. After relocating to New York, Benita worked for NBC and was featured in NBC's documentary "A Leap of Faith" in 2013. "None of these people were coming," Benita said she tragically discovered. It was, it was really, really difficult. What to tell her. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. And she, unfortunately, was born with no windpipe. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? And that presence was really something, it was really something. And we first met in early 2013. If your response is to point a finger at a victim, thats really sad. to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Benita was also the Co-Executive Producer and narrator for the 2016 TLC documentary, Breaking the Silence," about sexual abuse. 5. The couple shares a daughter named Jessina, born in 2003. Um, and so he had, we were coming back into the room after dinner one night, and I was kind of teasing him. Paolo says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. [00:34:59] Bob: When you went to her house, was Paolo there? He has peoples lives in his hands.. Gerdin also said Macchiarini had failed to obtain ethical permits to perform the transplants, which he said amounted to experimentation on human subjects. She is also the CEO of Berraca Productions, a company she founded to further her advocacy work empowering women who are the survivors of fraud. But everything else, I'm planning everything, and you can't ask me any questions." And so there was a lot of palpable excitement about this wedding, you know, people were really eager and excited for this wedding. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try My friends and my family all adored him. [00:25:28] Bo Lindquist: He was definitely prone to getting angry and, and could be quite violently. [00:17:51] Bob: Their relationship blossoms quickly. Read More: Where Is Paolo Macchiarini Now? [00:20:06] Benita: We had kind of quietly gotten engaged, but we weren't telling anybody um, because I mean the complicated thing about this is that there's a sort of unwritten rule in journalism that everybody understands, that, you know, there's, there is a line you just don't cross a kind of sacred line where you don't, you can empathize with a story subject, you can sympathize, but you don't become personally involved with a story subject for, for the reason, obviously, that your objectivity could be compromised, right. The two-part special He Lied About Everything premieres on ID on Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 8 to 10 p.m. Benita Alexander thought she had found her modern day Prince Charming. It's a very aggressive form of brain cancer. 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. I love some pressure, let's go for it. "He seemed like he was the miracle man," she said. [00:19:03] Benita: (laugh) Yeah, yep, yeah. She graduated magna cum laude from WSU with a degree in journalism in 1987. Macchiarini proposed to Alexander on Christmas Day in 2013. 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. And spent months, you know, this did not happen overnight. He responded wow,'" Benita claimed. And then in radio, producing a radio talk show, and then in local television. The scale . It wasnt surprising being a surgeon in Italy. 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. They become engaged and plan a lavish dream wedding, to be attended by celebrities and officiated by none other than Pope Francis himself. He is one of the world's leading cardio thoracic surgeons. They set their wedding for 11 July 2015 in Rome. The couple had the wedding planned for July 2015. 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?" Dashing, successful and charming, Macchiarini, she thought, was the perfect man for her. Benita Alexander has been married twice. They had already decided to marry in Italy, where Macchiarini wanted a Catholic wedding despite rules against remarriages. Documentary producer Benita Alexander thought it was love when her job introduced her to internationally renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. She won a slew of honors for her work with the greatest in television reporting, including two Emmys. And one of those really, really tight embraces. 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 Benita has to keep a secret. [00:17:24] Bob: He was there when she needed somebody. 'People Magazine Investigates' : Tracking Down the Man Who Allegedly Killed Mom of Two Joy Hibbs in 1991, Arrest Made in Beloved Mother's Cold Case Murder and Prosecutor Credits 'People Magazine Investigates', 'Hiding in Plain Sight': All About Jimmy Savile, Disgraced Royal Confidante Featured in Netflix Doc, 'People Magazine Investigates' : Inside Decades-Old Disappearances of 5 People Along the Snake River. A successful TV journalist, the single mother-of-one was interviewing him for a report on cutting-edge medicine. [00:25:58] Bo Lindquist: I think he liked the challenge. So first it was about the wedding gown itself. [00:38:44] Benita: I should say this wedding turns into something akin to the wedding of the century. Be sure to find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Macchiarini had been credited with developing innovative surgical techniques using stem cells in synthetic trachea transplants. I see a woman and two kids," she said, adding that she knew about Paolo's wife in Italy. But Macchiarini showered her in flowers and jewelry. She was able to get the Vatican to verify that he had never been the pope's personal doctor. He, he was supposed to be their last hope. 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. 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. I mean I, I loved NBC. She works in Rockefeller Center and flies all around the world, and on one of these trip, she meets the man of her dreams. Um, I almost actually passed out. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. You know, all these celebrities were coming. [00:02:31] Benita: Yeah, right! Benita has since spoken up about her experiences in the media, given public speeches, and written detailed articles in renowned publications to bring awareness to the concept of love con. She said she called the castle where all the guests were supposed to be staying and asked them about the reservation, which they didn't have. Macchiarini was already being scrutinized for his work, including by doctors who had been trying to save the life of one of his patients, Yesim Cetir. Anyone that knows anything about private schools in New York knows how hard that is. And right about then, across the Atlantic Ocean, Bo is about to find out the real truth about Paolo too. Best Known For For her appearance in ID Now (2017), Dateline NBC (1992) and Inside the Obama White House (2009). ", Heartbroken, Alexander continued to discover more of Macchiarini's lies in the ensuing months. My daughter who, you know, has been through a lot. "The first thing we did was inform our boss, and then we also informed Paolo Macchiarini's bosses at the university," Corbascio said. "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.". Benita has become a recognized love conned expert and along with speaking engagements, she is a regular guest correspondent on "The Dr. Oz Show." He wrote love notes in lipstick on her mirror and left roses on the bed in the shape of hearts. Um, made dinner, and did all this, and then we were discussing and showing fabrications and doing sketching and then like, you know, where were we going to begin? [00:24:07] Bob: For many months, Paolo plays his cards very close to the vest as Bo starts asking questions about the patients Paolo has worked on. But Benita's intuition overtook her and she hired a private investigator to look into the surreal wedding. And so it was kind of the perfect case for us to focus our story around. He speaks 5 or 6 languages, and he works all over the world, and you know, dresses very beautifully. Despite her work ethic, she fell in love with Macchiarini. 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. I had tried, at one point I pushed him away, and we didn't see each other for about three months. As a journalist, Alexander knew she couldn't get involved with the subject of her story. You know, no, how do we take viewers through a two-hour journey of this little girl coming, you know, halfway across the world to get this radical surgery, and then she doesn't make it? We had been divorced for a couple of years at that point and for three years, and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma which is a very, there's no good kind of cancer, no good kind of brain cancer, but the, you know, the outlook is not good, you know they, they kind of give someone two years at the most. Its so damaging. He says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. I, I thought it was ridiculous. He was listed as one of . This was holy cow. [00:25:22] Bob: And while Paolo loves to talk about his work, he isn't always charming. You know he; he was sort of like Mr. Um, it hit all of us very, very hard. [00:23:20] Bob: Bo also spent many months following Paolo around the world, getting to know him, getting Paolo to open up to him. [00:23:07] Bob: The first time you met him was where? But then I, and this was October of 2014, and I went and googled, the first thing I did was I went to my desk and googled, literally googled, Does the Pope marry people? And what popped up was an article from a month earlier where the Pope had just married 20 couples in the Vatican. 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. Hearings are expected to begin in 2022. It was an excellent place. I was just kind of like, um, 'cause Benita's so awesome and like, you know she was totally in love with him. I mean most 8-year-olds will change their minds, you know, many times, but I never changed. I was blissfully happy. He was incredibly generous with them as well. 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. In early 1982, shortly before her 16th birthday, Benita returned home from a sleepover to discover that her mother had left the family in the middle of the night. Perfect. [00:35:41] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, and we definitely um, we made sure that through this process, we made sure we took care of her, you know what I mean. Maybe help me, help with the invitations 'cause I don't want to deal with that. And so they got FDA approval for Paolo to do the surgery in Illinois, and they got him a special medical license to do the surgery in Illinois. As these events were unfolding, Maccharini allowed Lindquist to follow him for a documentary film. Every time he took me on a trip, he just delighted in these, these big, over the top, elaborate surprises. In 2013, the successful documentary producer met world-renowned, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini while working on a project for a major network. And he said, "Just tell me when you want to stop." [00:14:35] Benita: The thing about Paolo is he's a very good listener, and we, after a shoot sometimes, would go out to dinner, or we would be in a group of people talking. [00:21:08] Bob: Benita is proud of her work and happy with her husband-to-be, excited to put the finishing touches on Hannah's medical miracle story, but before the piece airs, the story takes a dark turn. After doing her own research, Alexander found that Pope Francis had just married 20 couples and began to believe it was possible after all. Benita Alexander, and swept her off her feet with a marriage proposal and promises of a wedding . They live in the same area outside Florence. This very personal film, which Benita narrates herself, documents how her fairytale romance with a world-renowned surgeon turns into a nightmare. But when it comes to the wedding, Paolo takes the lead. I don't know what I was. I mean it got to the point where he loved to surprise me, everywhere we went. In June 2013, they flew to Venice for what Alexander called an incredibly romantic weekend.. [00:23:14] Bo Lindquist: And then we traveled to different places. Hosted by Benita Alexander. And I made it to this point. If you want to tell somebody's story well, it, it helps if you can really tell it from their perspective. The qualified journalist then began working at a string of local television stations. [00:40:15] Bob: With that dramatic entrance comes a dramatic exit too. [00:34:35] Bob: The first step is working with Benita on ideas for the wedding dress. And I, I think at least that it makes me a better writer and a better journalist. 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. But everything else, I'm planning everything, and you can't ask me any questions.". Corbascio called the decision "absolutely insane.". They became friends and over time she felt herself falling for him, despite her journalistic integrity impeding the romance. Death podcast. The third season, called "Dr. Death: Miracle Man" includes 6 episodes, along with a bonus episode that is an interview with Benita by host Laura Beil. And I was really wrestling with all of it. She said she later sent a lengthy text message to him, and received a single-word response: "Wow! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music| Spotify | Stitcher|TuneIn. "It said that he had a normal functioning airway," Corbascio said. [00:42:33] Bob: When Benita comes to her senses, she switches back into investigative reporter mode, and decides to find out the real truth behind Paolo. again. He gave me really sage, solid, kind advice.". Benita and Macchiarini's wild relationship was featured in a special episode of ABC's 20/20 on Friday. 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. Alexander felt compelled to cancel the wedding, yet while she tried to figure out the extent to which Macchiarini had lied, she said she let him think they would still marry one day. What is happening? And the stem cells were supposed to magically integrate, and he was fixing people. She found out exactly what hed lied about - and she said it was extensive. She said, `` just tell me when you went to her house, born! 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