WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008

British celebrity cook Nigella Lawson says her children won't inherit a penny of her $250 million fortune when she dies.

The 48-year-old star of Nigella Express is worth an estimated $15 million, while her husband — marketing guru Charles Saatchi — is thought to be worth over $230 million.

But according to Nigella, her children won't benefit at all from the family's wealth.

"I am determined that my children should have no financial security. It ruins people not having to earn money," Nigella told British magazine My Weekly.

"I argue with my husband Charles because he believes that you should be able to leave money to your children. I think we'll have to agree to disagree."

Nigella has two children from her first marriage, 13-year-old Cosima and 11-year-old Bruno. Her husband Charles has one daughter, 12-year-old Phoebe.

She hasn't yet said what she plans to do with the money, although she works closely with cancer charities after losing her mother, sister and first husband to the disease.

Having had a privileged upbringing herself as the daughter of a Conservative chancellor, Nigella says she wants her children to know "that you have to work in order to earn money".

Your say: Should celebrities donate their money to charity instead of leaving it to their children?