We won the case but Nigella Lawson won hearts

And Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo claimed that when they were accused of fraud by the TV cook it was like discovering 'your mother is not actually your mother'.

The sisters were speaking today for the first time following their acquittal last month on charges of fraudulently using company credit cards, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on designer goods for themselves, while working as personal assistants to Lawson and her ex-husband Charles Saatchi.

But the Italian sisters claimed every purchase had been approved by their then-bosses and were found not guilty after jurors at Isleworth Crown Court in west London deliberated for nine hours.

"We have won the court case but definitely she had the most support from the public. She is well-loved and she will always be loved and I am sure she will be fine," Francesca Grillo, 35, told the programme.

"She is great at what she is doing and I wish her all the best."

Francesca said that she never wanted the case to go to court – but they had to tell the court everything so they could defend themselves.

She added: "I felt sorry for all of us involved. We shouldn't have reached that. But unfortunately you are in a position where your freedom is at stake so you have to tell your side of the story and whatever you think is relevant to the case, so it's a bit of a pity that we ended up in there to be honest."

The sisters said their relationship with Miss Lawson – whose new show The Taste shows on Channel 4 tonight – was beyond repair.

Ms Lawson said last week that her 'only desire' during the trial had been to protect her children but "alas I couldn't always do".