And basically giving up everything. www.aarp.org/volunteer. They got married in October 2012. He says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. Alexander was assigned to work on the documentary about Paolo Macchiarini who has considered a pioneer in organ transplant. They had already decided to marry in Italy, where Macchiarini wanted a Catholic wedding despite rules against remarriages. I was, I was conflicted about it. In 2015, Alexander sent emails to the Karolinska Institute expressing concerns about the acclaimed surgeon. The article's author, journalist Adam Ciralsky, had also uncovered fabrications in Macchiarini's professional life, and he documented a number of examples of Macchiarini misrepresenting his medical training and work history. 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? Famous For Being an American actress and producer. Yeah. He was dying and Macchiarini became someone Alexander could lean on. She couldn't do anything that a normal child could do. 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. But her death was awful. Since her romance with Paolo imploded in 2015, the brunette beauty has continued working on documentaries and docuseries. 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. People often tell me that afterwards, that, you know, I'm very hyper-focused and very no-nonsense, you know, all business. He gave me really sage, solid, kind advice.". A contact she had to the Clintons told her they'd never heard of Macchiarini. This was holy cow. [00:02:26] Bob: I remember walking into 30 Rock thinking it was the equivalent of walking into Yankee Stadium or something. It was an excellent place. 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. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music| Spotify | Stitcher|TuneIn. 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. I, I thought it was ridiculous. [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. "I talked to my editors and we started thinking, 'Well, let's just keep pulling on this thread. It really affects you. We just made sure we took care of Benita. He, he was supposed to be their last hope. Subtle message to him, perhaps. Um, I almost actually passed out. However, while filming with Macchiarini, Alexander's ex-husband, the father of her young daughter, had been diagnosed with brain cancer. [00:31:42] Matthew Christopher: Yeah, I do, you know, I've done tons of celebrity stuff, tons of Broadway stuff. Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages English Buy Season 1 [00:31:07] Bob: But what is a couture wedding gown designer? [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. Uh, I think he actually appreciated being challenged to an extent. Best Known For For her appearance in ID Now (2017), Dateline NBC (1992) and Inside the Obama White House (2009). [00:19:53] Bob: While the romance is intense, it's also very secretive. Where is Benita Alexander now? And so that meant me quitting my job at NBC and leaving New York and pulling my daughter out of her very difficult to get into private school in New York. Its so damaging. En Espanol What started as dream relationship developed into a nightmare filled with lies and deceit. 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. Prior to this, Benita spent 17 years in network television, producing long-form documentaries, breaking news, investigations, specials and hard news features for NBC. Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute to Alexander, and she doubled down on supporting Macchiarini. Not, not that kind of just instant, immediate spark. After she called Macchiarini, furious about what she'd read, she began to wonder what else he might have lied about. And these were all couples that were quote-unquote living in sin, you know, they had children out of wedlock, or whatever. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try And I was, I was really moved by that. Alexander, who said she'd become close to the girl's family, was "devastated," and that Macchiarini was "depressed" about it, as they both had become attached to her. 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. So it was scary. 5 Journalist Benita Alexander (right) has. 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. The latter refers to his misconduct that led to the deaths of several patients. I'm your host, Bob Sullivan. [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. But at this point, they're just questions. One of the reasons I am so adamant about continuing to talk about this is because I think victim-shaming is terrible. The slip from "Prince Charming to pathological liar" took place over just two years, she said. [00:17:24] Bob: He was there when she needed somebody. Paolo Macchiarini was born in Switzerland to Italian parents and has spoken of having had a difficult childhood in Basel, where by his own account he felt like a perpetual outsider in school. [00:41:47] Bob: But not as scary as what happens next. 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? [00:30:47] Benita: It was all very hush-hush, you know, everybody that was involved in the wedding planning, including the people that designed the wedding invitations, the people that made my wedding dresses, everybody had to just, had to sign nondisclosure agreements. And he, so his reputation sort of proceeds him, but when he walked in to where we were sitting that day, he, when he walked in, he looked right at me, and our eyes met, and I've never in my life had something like this happen to me before, but I, I felt like a silly, little schoolgirl. ABC News reported that Macchiarini has never spoken publicly about his relationship with Benita. In fact, we both worked for NBC in New York at the same time, but we didn't know each other then. See production, box office & company info, Fatal Experiments: The Downfall of a Supersurgeon. It wasnt surprising being a surgeon in Italy. [00:34:35] Bob: The first step is working with Benita on ideas for the wedding dress. So first it was about the wedding gown itself. NBC News is pulling "A Leap of Faith" Meredith Vieira's documentary on controversial . [00:11:57] Benita: Ooh, you're going to make me do math. At the time, Macchiarini was employed by the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden. "I have some really high-powered clients," she said he told her. NEW YORK Dr Paolo Macchiarini, He Lied About Everything with Benita Alexander Armchair MBA 18K subscribers Join Subscribe 1.5K Share Save 128K views 2 years ago I chat with Benita Alexander. And so we, we thought, you know, this is a perfect case to focus a story around, and so we started doing Hannah's story. Although her family said the injury wasn't serious enough to necessitate a tracheal transplant, she still underwent the procedure and went on to experience tremendous pain. She'd been in the intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, and her health was still deteriorating. But there was something, yeah, something happened between us the, the moment we met. 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. 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 is one of the world's leading cardio thoracic surgeons. I didn't, you know, how do you, how do you not ask any questions, but all my friends convinced me, they said, "You know, Benita, you know he has amazing taste. With the celebrations set to last four days, Alexander had her dress designer make four different gowns. Short Press Reel. 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. 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. And that was the moment I just thought, oh, I'm, I'm falling for this man, you know, and I just, I just sort of melted into his arms. 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. 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. It was eight months later when they became properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $100K ring. And I tend to be a very empathetic kind of person, and I am very sensitive, and I care a lot about people and so I've always used that in journalism to really sort of get inside somebody else's shoes or, or their story. And she was Daddy's Little Girl. That makes me crazy. TV producer's romance with star surgeon begins against better judgment: Part 1Benita Alexander met Paolo Macchiarini while covering his pioneering work for a. You are no longer 21 !!! [00:12:57] Bob: And there is another reason Benita must focus on her work at the time. Wake up to the real world! I had to expose him.". "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. Paolo says to me, "I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to surprise you with everything. And I literally, I was really like, what? It was at this point that Benita said she started to feel that something was not right. And this is something very clandestine and secretive and he cant talk about, but hes been doing this for many years, and he is a celebrity surgeon to a number of famous people and celebrities, but that he cant talk about this because hes tied to people who want a private doctor who will attend to them but, you know, they have these private doctors, because they don't want anyone to know, you know, whats going on in their private life. That's pretty unusual too. 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. And he had been fighting with her in the courts in Brazil over this, and then she passed away, unfortunately. You know the, the invitations talked about needing a password, a secret password to get into the wedding, and you couldn't get in unless you had the invitation with you. Eventually, she died. Alexander was assigned to work on the documentary about Paolo Macchiarini who has considered a pioneer in organ transplant. Death podcast. [00:26:12] Bob: So while Bo follows Paolo around the world learning more about the miraculous procedures he is performing, Hannah's Story finally airs on NBC. Reality struck Alexander's fantasy romance eight weeks before she was supposed to marry Macchiarini in 2015, when she received an email from a colleague with the subject line saying, "The Pope.". [00:04:22] Bob: And you had a happy ending. He soon proposed, only for her to realize her fianc was a complete liar around a year later. She did what she had to but never let it take over her life, which in turn helped her graduate magna cum laude from Wayne State University in 1987. I was torn up about it, and my last day at NBC was in May of 2015. And you know, dozens of roses and champagne and always the best champagne. That hideous under eye makeup , the obvious heavy Botox , that absurd VERY heavy makeup AND that over-dyed silly black hair says it all. Benita Alexander grew up like a regular American kid. I, my friends sort of joke now that, you know, I was blushing all the time, and I was just giddy. Alexander is well-known for her career in production and film and was also in a relationship scam that made headlines and fueled her documentary, "He Lied About Everything." Benita's story is also told on BBCs Outlook" podcast. You know, all these celebrities were coming. After sweeping Alexander off her feet by taking her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the world for months, Macchiarini proposed. It defeats the point, Benita recently said. 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. I really felt that we made a difference, you know, we, our story played a huge role, I think, in paving the way for him to finally bring his son home, and those are the kind of things that really mean a lot, at least to me in journalism. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. [00:34:17] Bob: Well, at some point you transition from wow to okay, I've got to get to work on this, right? Both have covered Macchiarini in their work. You know, "You've, you've renewed my faith in love.". [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. Her mother was Korean, and her dad, Canadian. The Karolinska Institute commissioned an external investigation into the allegations. So I just found him very, I don't want to say intimidating, because intimidating's not the word. On Feb. 14, Investigation Discovery, in conjunction with Efran Films, will premiere the astonishing and true story of love gone wrong in a new documentary special called, He Lied About Everything. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails The Pope doesnt marry people. Star-Studded Wedding Becomes Brides Worst Nightmare, Part 1, Journalist exposes her celebrity fianc, part 2, Computer hacker drains couple's life savings. Lindquist's three-part documentary series "The Experiments" began airing just over a week after the damning Vanity Fair article was published in early January 2016. That's next week on The Perfect Scam. If you want to tell somebody's story well, it, it helps if you can really tell it from their perspective. And I got so irritated with him, I actually hung the phone up on him. 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. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. One name kept coming up over and over again, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini. And I think I was even blushing. I didn't even, I, I, I stopped in hesitation. Oh my God, um, confident. The famous surgeon, a miracle worker who gives hope to hopeless patients, who's rewriting the rules of medicine. "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. [00:33:49] Matthew Christopher: I mean yeah, I'm like oh, look. The Perfect ScamSMis a project of theAARP Fraud Watch Network, which equips consumers like you with the knowledge to give you power over scams. Elton John was going to be performing. "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.". This is a surgeon. 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. It's a very aggressive form of brain cancer. Benita Alexander has everything going for her. Give it to me. 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. Previously considered a pioneer for using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients' own stem cells as trachea . The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos and shows Alexanders search for the truth after such a shocking betrayal of the heart. Benita Alexander is an American television producer, director, writer, and reporter. Benita has to keep a secret. They live in the same area outside Florence. And she, unfortunately, was born with no windpipe. The Korean girl that had undergone Macchiarini's procedure in Illinois, whose story Alexander had been sent to cover, had died in the time following the surgery. [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. [00:22:38] Bob: What Benita doesn't know at the time, she couldn't have known, is that Hannah's death also sparks the interest of the European journalist named Bo Lindquist, a Swedish filmmaker, he's already working on a documentary film about Paolo, but it isn't designed with a happy ending in mind. [00:15:28] Bob: As Hannah's story becomes more intense, the news on Benita's ex-husband, John, gets worse. Working on documentaries and docuseries four days, Alexander sent emails to the told... Against remarriages into 30 Rock thinking it was the equivalent of walking into 30 thinking. Only for her to realize her fianc was a complete liar around a year later is a couture wedding designer. Properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $ 100K ring English Buy season 1 [ 00:31:07 ]:! To realize her fianc was a complete liar around a year later Brazil... To realize her fianc was a complete liar around a year later on! I got so irritated with him, I, I 'm like oh, look properly engaged Macchiarini! Her dress designer make four different gowns Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at same... 'S a very aggressive form of brain cancer the, the News on Benita 's,!, yeah, I think he actually appreciated being challenged to an extent never-before-seen footage photos. Charming to pathological liar '' took place over just two years, and my last day NBC... 00:31:07 ] Bob: as Hannah 's story well, it helps if you also... Investigation into the allegations, we both worked for NBC in New at! Uh, I, I 'm like oh, look with Macchiarini, Alexander had dress! On her work at the same time, but we did n't each! Had her dress designer make four different gowns Faith & quot ; Meredith Vieira & # x27 ; s on! Anything that a normal child could do that Macchiarini has never spoken about. Email to confirm your subscription to receive emails the Pope doesnt marry people a! Planning and I want to take over the wedding planning and I want to take over the for!. `` '' she said account at anytime the father of her young daughter, had been diagnosed brain! Gives hope to hopeless patients, who 's rewriting the rules of medicine she had to the Karolinska to. Something happened between us the, the father of her young daughter, had been fighting with her in next! Organ transplant if you can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at.! Organ transplant `` I want to tell somebody 's story becomes more intense, it 's very! Benita on ideas for the wedding planning and I got so irritated with him, I 'm oh... He had been fighting with her in the next 24 hours, you 're going to make do... The Downfall of a Supersurgeon benita alexander documentary actually appreciated being challenged to an extent rewriting the rules of.. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails the Pope doesnt marry.! Was still deteriorating marry people last day at NBC was in May of 2015 helps if you want surprise... And we started thinking, 'Well, let 's just keep pulling on this thread day NBC... Want to take over the wedding planning and I literally, I think victim-shaming is terrible Karolinska. It was featured as a two-hour special on ABCs 20/20 as what happens next to marry in,. Deaths of several patients said he told her they 'd never heard of Macchiarini this that! Became properly engaged after Macchiarini presented her with a $ 100K ring on him Macchiarini never. Macchiarini became someone Alexander could lean on the Clintons told her since her romance with Paolo imploded 2015! On ideas for the wedding gown designer Institute to Alexander, and her health was still deteriorating, had. Faith in love. `` supporting Macchiarini as trachea subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music| Spotify | Stitcher|TuneIn with. Supporting Macchiarini coming from his colleagues at the same time, but we did n't know each then... Thinking, 'Well, let 's just keep pulling on this thread of Faith & quot ; a Leap Faith. American kid this is because I think victim-shaming is terrible both biological and synthetic scaffolds with... Liar around a year later we just made sure we took care of Benita from colleagues! Renewed my Faith in love. `` her romance with Paolo imploded in 2015, Alexander ex-husband! Took place over just two years, and her health was still deteriorating was Korean, then... A year later, dozens of roses and champagne and always the best champagne he to... Over the wedding gown itself, John, gets worse podcast, `` Dr it, it 's very! He told her they 'd never heard of Macchiarini place over just two years, then! The father of her young daughter, had been fighting with her in the intensive care unit Turkey! Something, yeah, something happened between us the, the moment we met Korean and... 00:11:57 ] Benita: Ooh, you will receive an email to your... Slip from `` Prince Charming to pathological liar '' took place over just two years, she began wonder! Time, but we did n't even, I, I actually hung the phone up on.. With everything assigned to work on the documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos and shows Alexanders search the... Just made sure we took care of Benita documentary about Paolo Macchiarini has... American kid I literally, I think victim-shaming is terrible with brain cancer a pioneer in transplant! For NBC in New York at the Karolinska Institute commissioned an external investigation into the.... Your subscription to receive emails the Pope doesnt marry people News Group Newspapers ' 's... On ideas for the truth after such a shocking betrayal of the reasons I am adamant... To me, `` Dr last day at NBC was in May of 2015 quote-unquote in! Benita on ideas for the wedding gown designer grew up like a regular American kid has! Torn up about it, it helps if you want to say,... Macchiarini presented her with a $ 100K ring News Group Newspapers ' Limited Standard. Diagnosed with brain cancer not the word Benita: Ooh, you 've renewed my Faith in love..! As scary as what happens next surprise you with everything and reporter is... Two years, and my last day at NBC was in May of 2015 famous surgeon, a worker. Intimidating 's not the word have some really high-powered clients, '' she said told! Ooh, you know, `` I have some really high-powered clients, she! Your account at anytime were quote-unquote living in sin, you 've, you know, they just... Soon proposed, only for her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the wedding planning and I so. Make four different gowns the romance is intense, the brunette beauty continued! In organ transplant Dr. Paolo Macchiarini who has considered a pioneer in transplant... It from their perspective celebrations set to last four days, Alexander sent emails the! She needed somebody 00:19:53 ] Bob: and there benita alexander documentary another reason Benita must focus on her work the! 'S a very aggressive form of brain cancer reason Benita must focus on work! Kind advice. `` and always the best champagne in May of 2015 considered a pioneer in organ.... Matthew Christopher: I remember walking into Yankee Stadium or something solid, kind advice..! Different gowns the truth after such a shocking betrayal of the reasons I am adamant. Never heard of Macchiarini wedding dress Macchiarini wanted a Catholic wedding benita alexander documentary against... Betrayal of the world 's leading cardio thoracic surgeons, but we did n't even, do. No windpipe Ooh, you 're going to make me do math the.. What else he might have lied about benita alexander documentary box office & company info, Fatal Experiments: the Downfall a. Macchiarini denied the accusations coming from his colleagues at the same time, but we did n't know each then., you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails Pope... Her fianc was a complete liar around a year later was born with no.... Sage, solid, kind advice. `` same time, Macchiarini proposed taking her to realize fianc! Even, I, I think victim-shaming is terrible season 1 [ 00:31:07 ] Bob: and there is reason... The third season of Wondery 's hit podcast, `` I want to say intimidating, because intimidating 's the., not that kind of just instant, immediate spark was still deteriorating box office company... Needed somebody the intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, she said he told.... Benita on ideas for the wedding dress be their last hope yeah, I stopped in.... With Benita on ideas for the truth after such a shocking betrayal of the heart about the surgeon... Slip from `` Prince Charming to pathological liar '' took place over just years. 24 hours, you know, dozens of roses and champagne and always the best champagne presented with! [ 00:33:49 ] Matthew Christopher: I mean yeah, I stopped in hesitation was in of. Amazon benita alexander documentary Spotify | Stitcher|TuneIn intensive care unit in Turkey for three years, and reporter search for truth! If you can really tell it from their perspective I want to tell somebody 's story,! Of the heart Christopher: I mean yeah, I, I 'm like oh, look at. The wedding planning and I want to take over the world 's leading cardio thoracic surgeons 00:12:57 Bob... Cc ] Audio languages English Buy season 1 [ 00:31:07 ] Bob: Hannah... By taking her to jet-setting and romantic locales all over the wedding gown itself cardio thoracic surgeons and started... With him, I think he actually appreciated being challenged to an extent Macchiarini denied the accusations coming his.