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Goldberg: Tonight,
the honor of your presence
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is requested at
a fairy-tale wedding
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without the happy ever after.
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♪
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take an award-winning
journalist...
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That was truly being
swept off my feet.
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Macchiarini:
This is our cave of love!
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Goldberg:
...A world-famous surgeon
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with a george clooney vibe...
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I love you.
So very much.
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[ smooches ]
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goldberg: ...Plus all
his so-called "friends"...
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Benita:
Andrea bocelli, john legend,
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then it was elton john.
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Even the pope?
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Benita: I'm not joking -- we're
getting married by the pope!
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[ laughs ]
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are you kidding me?
I said, "that's nuts!"
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you're not even catholic.
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-Whoa!
-I was saying, "what?"
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what the hell is going on?
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Oh, my god,
what if this is all a lie?
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Goldberg: I'm whoopi goldberg,
and this is "the con."
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♪
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[ monitor beeping ]
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♪
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[ choir singing ]
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it's deep into a 12-hour
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groundbreaking surgery
in sweden.
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The lead surgeon is italian
doctor paolo macchiarini,
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from the prestigious
karolinska institute.
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That's the one that hands out
the nobel prize in medicine.
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Dr. Macchiarini is replacing
a patient's trachea
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with a plastic tube
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that's seeded with the patient's
own stem cells.
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Woman: He is making headlines
as the first surgeon ever
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to perform
a synthetic organ transplant.
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♪
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goldberg: Halfway around
the world, in new york city,
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a single mother
with a young daughter
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has absolutely no idea
that dr. Macchiarini
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is about to radically change
the course of her life, too.
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♪
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freeman: Benita was a television
producer in new york city.
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She loved her job.
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She was at the top of her game.
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The two that she has
questions about,
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just get back to me about those.
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This girl works a zillion hours
and never tires
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and is so committed to her work
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but so committed to her friends
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and so committed
to her daughter.
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Cumba: She's always been
making sure that
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everything she does
has a a-plus on it.
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Tom: She is always done up
very glamorous,
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but you don't always expect
someone to look like that
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to be so warm and loving
and giving.
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Goldberg: Benita is assigned
to work on a documentary
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about paolo macchiarini's
next surgery.
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That's right,
good girl.
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Benita: We were following
a story of a toddler from korea
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who was being brought
to the u.S.
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She was going to be
the youngest person ever
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to get one of these
artificial tracheas.
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It was an exciting story.
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Just reading about him,
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you really got the sense
from him
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that he wanted to help people,
that he wanted to help humanity.
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Reporter: A breakthrough --
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a report that a doctor has found
a way to grow a new windpipe.
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A surgical first that could
offer new hope.
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All these studies are ongoing.
This could be the future.
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Goldberg: His nickname is
the "super surgeon,"
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a cowboy of sorts on
the cutting edge of science,
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pushing the limits of what
anyone thinks is possible
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with organ transplants.
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Lindquist: He was basically
a wonder-child.
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♪
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incredibly successful.
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He was very much sought after
internationally.
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Benita: Somebody in the office
joked very early on
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that he was a george clooney
look-alike.
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But did I think he was gonna be
a part of my life?
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No. Absolutely not.
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♪
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we met the afternoon before
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we were gonna sit down
and interview him.
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And it was -- it was
the weirdest thing.
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He comes around the corner.
He looks right at me.
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And in that second,
something happened.
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I mean, I got this sort of chill
through my body.
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Like there was some sort of
electric spark.
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And I remember in my head
thinking,
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"what the hell was that?"
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I'm saying to myself,
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"okay, whatever this is, like,
don't think about it."
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I think the thing that was
always a question mark to me
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was my personal life.
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I had recently been divorced
from my husband of 12 years,
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who is the father
of our daughter.
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It was a messy divorce,
and it was difficult.
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I had a rebound relationship
with a lovely person,
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but I wasn't ready to be in
another serious relationship.
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I was just kind of putting
one foot in front of the other
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and getting through.
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I've always been a workaholic.
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So that's always been my refuge.
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When paolo and benita first met,
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her ex-husband had brain cancer.
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♪
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and it was heart-wrenching.
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Benita: The prognosis was awful.
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And it was just
really difficult.
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I knew I was gonna have to
tell my daughter
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that her dad was dying.
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I couldn't even fathom
how to do it.
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She was only nine.
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Cumba: It was very strenuous
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because she's trying to
hold it together for her job.
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She's trying to hold it together
for her daughter.
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She's trying to hold it together
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for everybody and everything
else except herself.
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♪
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benita: Paolo was a really good
listener.
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He and I started
going to dinners,
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and I was kind of pouring
my heart out to him
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about all this stuff.
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He gave me really sage,
solid, kind advice.
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He was really comforting
and really helpful,
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you know, during that period
at a really critical time.
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Benita:
I needed someone to lean on.
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Goldberg:
Benita is extremely vulnerable.
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As her ex-husband is dying,
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paolo was there to comfort her
as she grieves.
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What began as a friendship
is becoming much deeper.
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And one day when she is
particularly sad,
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everything changes.
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He hugged me.
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And I didn't resist.
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And it wasn't just a quick hug.
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There was something really
sort of intense about it.
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I remember thinking,
ah, you know,
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"I'm falling for this guy."
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that was the moment I knew.
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That marked the beginning
of our romantic involvement.
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Goldberg: But it's complicated!
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Benita says paolo tells her
he has been separated for years.
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A divorce is looming,
but it's still not legal.
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And benita --
she's still a reporter
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doing a documentary on this guy.
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Benita: It was really difficult
because I was falling in love
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with somebody that I was
doing a story about,
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which you are not
supposed to do.
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If you get involved
with somebody,
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your objectivity
could be compromised.
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And I agonized about it.
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I was very surprised to see her
so focused on this guy.
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And so I figured
he must be special
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to kind of take that risk.
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Did I compromise my
journalistic integrity? Yeah.
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I really didn't know what to do.
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Goldberg:
That's when paolo suggests
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she accompany him on
a long weekend in Italy.
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And against her better judgment,
she agrees.
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♪
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benita:
The whole trip was so romantic.
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I mean,
just over-the-top romance.
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Everything. The food,
the flowers, the dinners.
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♪
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he rented a private boat,
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and we took day trips
to these islands.
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That was truly being
swept off my feet.
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Cumba:
It was almost like a scene
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from any romantic love story
that you could imagine,
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he did it.
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♪
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♪ I finally found the one ♪
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benita: This started out as
a beautiful love story.
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It turned into a nightmare.
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At some point,
this thing had to implode.
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♪
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benita: I never had this fantasy
of prince charming coming in.
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I love you.
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Men aren't prince charming,
and women are not cinderella.
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Tarnopol: None of us are.
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He was the closest thing
we ever could imagine
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to prince charming.
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He came into benita's life,
and he was gorgeous,
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had an amazing career,
spent money on her.
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[ laughs ]
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I love you, I love you, I love
you, I love you, I love you.
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Benita: It was a constant shower
of flowers and gifts.
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He would leave notes in lipstick
on my bathroom mirror.
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He gave me a lot of
really beautiful jewelry.
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Tarnopol: He seemed to have
unlimited money.
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To drop $10,000 on something
was nothing for him.
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He would spend money like you
would not even believe --
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the food, the roses on the bed,
shaped like a heart.
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♪
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goldberg:
And then there are the trips --
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whisking her away on long
weekends around the world.
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We went to london,
we went to mexico, russia,
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00:09:44,918 --> 00:09:51,056
sweden, puerto rico,
the bahamas twice, greece.
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Love you.
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Goldberg: Benita and paolo
document their relationship,
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taking pictures and videos.
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Her life suddenly went from
very down-to-earth
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00:10:02,369 --> 00:10:06,504
to this kind of glamorous,
almost celebrity lifestyle
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00:10:06,540 --> 00:10:09,040
that I was like,
"what is happening to benita?"
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00:10:09,076 --> 00:10:11,276
cumba: Paolo kind of gives you
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00:10:11,311 --> 00:10:12,944
that george clooney
type of feel,
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00:10:12,980 --> 00:10:15,880
that salt-pepper gray,
sexy kind of guy.
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00:10:15,916 --> 00:10:17,649
He spoke -- what? --
Six lang--
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00:10:17,684 --> 00:10:19,451
-seven languages.
-Seven languages.
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00:10:19,486 --> 00:10:21,753
[ speaking in
foreign languages ]
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00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:23,655
he reminds me of
that beer commercial,
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00:10:23,690 --> 00:10:27,058
the one with the most
interesting man in the world.
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00:10:27,094 --> 00:10:29,728
He is the most interesting man
in the world.
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00:10:29,763 --> 00:10:34,032
I just wanted to send you
a few loving good-morning words
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00:10:34,067 --> 00:10:37,469
and a lot of kisses
to my princess.
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Tarnopol: I mean, he was even
concerned about her friends.
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00:10:40,707 --> 00:10:43,241
I had breast cancer,
and he called me about,
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00:10:43,276 --> 00:10:44,376
you know, what to do
with my surgeries.
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00:10:44,411 --> 00:10:49,481
Benita had a sparkle in her eye.
She was blushing a lot.
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00:10:49,516 --> 00:10:50,448
She had finally met
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00:10:50,484 --> 00:10:53,518
the person that she was
supposed to be with.
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00:10:53,553 --> 00:11:06,398
♪
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00:11:06,433 --> 00:11:08,366
goldberg:
When benita trusts paolo enough
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00:11:08,402 --> 00:11:10,235
to let him meet her daughter,
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00:11:10,270 --> 00:11:15,006
her daughter falls for him, too.
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00:11:15,042 --> 00:11:16,641
Benita:
We were his princesses.
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It was like living a fairy tale.
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Incredible.
Goldberg:
They're becoming a family,
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and he takes them both
on trips.
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00:11:22,449 --> 00:11:26,317
Wow!
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00:11:26,353 --> 00:11:27,686
Benita:
He took us to the bahamas.
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00:11:27,721 --> 00:11:31,389
♪
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00:11:31,425 --> 00:11:33,425
macchiarini: Wow!
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00:11:33,460 --> 00:11:39,597
Benita:
And he was amazing with her.
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It was the first time
since her dad died
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00:11:41,568 --> 00:11:43,668
I had seen her seem happy.
242
00:11:43,704 --> 00:11:46,604
And I distinctly remember
thinking,
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00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,042
"if anyone is going to step in
to try and fill her dad's shoes,
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00:11:51,078 --> 00:11:53,344
he's a great guy to do that."
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00:11:53,380 --> 00:11:57,148
♪
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00:11:57,184 --> 00:11:58,650
this was our first
christmas together.
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00:11:58,685 --> 00:11:59,884
I love christmas.
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00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:01,286
Hi.
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00:12:01,321 --> 00:12:02,454
Macchiarini: Hello, benita.
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00:12:02,489 --> 00:12:04,155
You remember --
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00:12:04,191 --> 00:12:06,291
you know,
he hands me a gift.
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00:12:06,326 --> 00:12:07,525
I don't think anything of it.
253
00:12:07,561 --> 00:12:14,299
♪
254
00:12:14,334 --> 00:12:16,434
oh, my god!
255
00:12:16,470 --> 00:12:17,569
I open this gift,
and it's a ring.
256
00:12:17,604 --> 00:12:21,506
And I looked at him like,
"is this what I think it is?"
257
00:12:21,541 --> 00:12:24,175
and he's like, "yeah."
258
00:12:24,211 --> 00:12:26,711
I actually couldn't talk
for a while.
259
00:12:26,747 --> 00:12:29,280
It was a gorgeous ring,
and I was so stunned.
260
00:12:29,316 --> 00:12:31,783
♪
261
00:12:31,818 --> 00:12:32,817
that's how he proposed.
262
00:12:32,853 --> 00:12:34,519
It was -- it was sweet.
263
00:12:34,554 --> 00:12:39,824
Goldberg: Sweet, to the tune of
supposedly $100,000.
264
00:12:39,860 --> 00:12:42,460
That modern-day fairy tale
is coming true,
265
00:12:42,496 --> 00:12:45,130
but still,
there are questions --
266
00:12:45,165 --> 00:12:47,832
paolo's divorce,
where will they live,
267
00:12:47,868 --> 00:12:49,834
whose career will
take precedence?
268
00:12:49,870 --> 00:12:54,372
♪
269
00:12:54,407 --> 00:12:56,441
benita: I wanted him to
stick around for new year's,
270
00:12:56,476 --> 00:12:57,408
and he said he couldn't.
271
00:12:57,444 --> 00:13:00,111
He said, "I have
a really important surgery.
272
00:13:00,147 --> 00:13:02,814
I have some really
high-powered clients."
273
00:13:02,849 --> 00:13:08,620
like dignitaries and world
leaders, and I -- "what?"
274
00:13:08,655 --> 00:13:11,790
that's when he told me that
there was
275
00:13:11,825 --> 00:13:14,826
this kind of "clandestine"
network who are on call,
276
00:13:14,861 --> 00:13:16,761
basically,
for these people.
277
00:13:16,797 --> 00:13:19,130
He told me that
it included the clintons.
278
00:13:19,166 --> 00:13:22,000
And that he and bill were tight,
that they were good friends
279
00:13:22,035 --> 00:13:24,169
and that they played tennis
together.
280
00:13:24,204 --> 00:13:25,503
He adds the obamas to this mix.
281
00:13:25,539 --> 00:13:27,939
Obama: There's only one way
to solve these challenges.
282
00:13:27,974 --> 00:13:29,741
Benita: As part of
this v.I.P. Network,
283
00:13:29,776 --> 00:13:31,309
he had become one of
284
00:13:31,344 --> 00:13:34,212
pope francis'
private consulting doctors.
285
00:13:34,247 --> 00:13:35,914
Goldberg: As out there
as that might seem,
286
00:13:35,949 --> 00:13:39,017
paolo fits the bill.
287
00:13:39,052 --> 00:13:41,085
Somebody has to do that job.
288
00:13:41,121 --> 00:13:45,657
So why not him?
289
00:13:45,692 --> 00:13:46,558
Benita: As much time as he spent
in new york,
290
00:13:46,593 --> 00:13:49,160
it still was
a long-distance relationship.
291
00:13:49,196 --> 00:13:50,662
He often had to cancel things
at the last minute
292
00:13:50,697 --> 00:13:53,598
because he had
an emergency surgery.
293
00:13:53,633 --> 00:13:54,766
It irritated me a bit.
It was frustrating,
294
00:13:54,801 --> 00:14:09,347
but it's a hazard of
dating the super surgeon.
295
00:14:09,382 --> 00:14:12,317
♪
296
00:14:12,352 --> 00:14:14,485
we knew we wanted to
get married in Italy.
297
00:14:14,521 --> 00:14:16,120
We didn't have that much time.
298
00:14:16,156 --> 00:14:17,488
And he said to me,
299
00:14:17,524 --> 00:14:20,959
"look, let me take over all
the planning of the wedding."
300
00:14:20,994 --> 00:14:22,994
I was really hesitant
to do that.
301
00:14:23,029 --> 00:14:25,496
I mean, no offense,
but what man --
302
00:14:25,532 --> 00:14:26,731
[ laughs ] what man knows
how to plan a wedding?
303
00:14:26,766 --> 00:14:31,603
Cumba: When benita told me that
paolo was gonna do everything,
304
00:14:31,638 --> 00:14:34,472
I'm like, "well, damn.
You deserve it.
305
00:14:34,507 --> 00:14:39,310
It's your time to be able to
show up and enjoy the party."
306
00:14:39,346 --> 00:14:42,480
benita: Paolo is catholic.
307
00:14:42,515 --> 00:14:43,915
He was absolutely adamant
308
00:14:43,950 --> 00:14:47,218
that he wanted it to be
a catholic wedding.
309
00:14:47,254 --> 00:14:49,988
And I said, "look, aside from
the fact that I'm not catholic,
310
00:14:50,023 --> 00:14:53,958
the catholic church is not gonna
marry two divorcées."
311
00:14:53,994 --> 00:14:56,194
goldberg: But remember,
paolo told her
312
00:14:56,229 --> 00:14:58,897
he has a special connection
to the vatican --
313
00:14:58,932 --> 00:15:01,366
as a consulting physician
to the pope.
314
00:15:01,401 --> 00:15:04,369
And he's flying there now
to use those connections.
315
00:15:04,404 --> 00:15:08,473
Benita: Then when he landed
in rome, I said,
316
00:15:08,508 --> 00:15:10,041
"who are you meeting with?"
317
00:15:10,076 --> 00:15:11,809
and he said,
"you're not gonna believe me."
318
00:15:11,845 --> 00:15:12,577
and he said,
"I'm meeting with the pope."
319
00:15:12,612 --> 00:15:18,983
[ choir singing ]
320
00:15:19,019 --> 00:15:20,752
he goes to this meeting,
321
00:15:20,787 --> 00:15:22,020
and I'm waiting and I'm waiting
and I'm waiting.
322
00:15:22,055 --> 00:15:24,856
And he finally calls me and he's
like, "you need to sit down."
323
00:15:24,891 --> 00:15:27,025
and I'm like, "what's going on?"
324
00:15:31,998 --> 00:15:35,099
goldberg:
Paolo and benita have hit a bump
325
00:15:35,135 --> 00:15:37,168
on the road to
happily-ever-after.
326
00:15:37,203 --> 00:15:41,372
They can't find a priest
willing to marry two divorcées
327
00:15:41,408 --> 00:15:43,708
in the catholic church.
328
00:15:43,743 --> 00:15:47,612
So paolo ups the stakes
to biblical proportions.
329
00:15:47,647 --> 00:15:49,814
He says he'll pay a visit
to the vatican
330
00:15:49,849 --> 00:15:52,317
to cash in on his connection
331
00:15:52,352 --> 00:15:55,653
as pope francis'
personal physician.
332
00:15:55,689 --> 00:15:57,588
He finally calls me and he says,
333
00:15:57,624 --> 00:15:59,424
"they took me in
to meet francis."
334
00:15:59,459 --> 00:16:00,658
and then he says,
"and he said he can help us."
335
00:16:00,694 --> 00:16:02,727
and then he said, "but,"
336
00:16:02,762 --> 00:16:03,928
and there's this long silence
on the phone.
337
00:16:03,964 --> 00:16:05,797
I said, "but what?"
338
00:16:05,832 --> 00:16:07,298
he said, "he offered to
marry us himself."
339
00:16:07,334 --> 00:16:10,034
[ applause ]
340
00:16:10,070 --> 00:16:11,536
and I said, "oh, [bleep]
341
00:16:11,571 --> 00:16:12,937
the pope doesn't marry people."
342
00:16:12,973 --> 00:16:16,474
"no, I'm serious.
He wants to marry us.
343
00:16:16,509 --> 00:16:18,576
Because we're both divorcées,
344
00:16:18,611 --> 00:16:20,578
he thinks we're the perfect
poster couple
345
00:16:20,613 --> 00:16:23,014
to push forward his
forward-thinking agenda
346
00:16:23,049 --> 00:16:24,148
to change the catholic church."
347
00:16:24,184 --> 00:16:25,216
and I got so mad.
348
00:16:25,251 --> 00:16:27,452
I said, "well, I --
I'm gonna talk to you later."
349
00:16:27,487 --> 00:16:29,320
and I hung up.
Everybody thought it was a joke.
350
00:16:29,356 --> 00:16:31,789
It was like,
"are you kidding me?"
351
00:16:31,825 --> 00:16:34,592
I said, "that's nuts!
You're not even catholic."
352
00:16:34,627 --> 00:16:37,028
last I checked, I don't think
divorced people
353
00:16:37,063 --> 00:16:38,563
get remarried in the
catholic church. I don't know.
354
00:16:38,598 --> 00:16:41,299
Benita: And I got on
the computer and googled, like,
355
00:16:41,334 --> 00:16:42,700
"does the pope marry people?"
356
00:16:42,736 --> 00:16:45,536
but the thing is what popped up
was the pope had just
357
00:16:45,572 --> 00:16:46,971
married a whole bunch of couples
at the vatican.
358
00:16:47,007 --> 00:16:49,807
Reporter: Pope francis has
married 20 new couples.
359
00:16:49,843 --> 00:16:51,709
Reporter #2: Some of whom
had been living in sin.
360
00:16:51,745 --> 00:16:52,877
So I looked at that
and I thought,
361
00:16:52,912 --> 00:16:55,680
"okay, then maybe it's not
completely out of the question."
362
00:16:55,715 --> 00:16:59,584
[ laughing ]
363
00:16:59,619 --> 00:17:01,386
oh, my god!
364
00:17:01,421 --> 00:17:02,987
Benita: Wait, no, no no,
I'm not joking.
365
00:17:03,023 --> 00:17:04,188
We're getting married
by the pope.
366
00:17:04,224 --> 00:17:07,492
Il papa!
[ laughing ]
367
00:17:07,527 --> 00:17:10,261
from that moment on, I felt like
my head was spinning,
368
00:17:10,296 --> 00:17:13,297
and it didn't stop spinning.
369
00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:16,834
The dress that I picked
was kind of sexy.
370
00:17:16,870 --> 00:17:18,469
And I thought,
"I can't wear that
371
00:17:18,505 --> 00:17:20,238
in front of the pope," you know?
372
00:17:20,273 --> 00:17:22,573
So I go back to the dress shop.
373
00:17:22,609 --> 00:17:24,675
I said, "is there
any way you can
374
00:17:24,711 --> 00:17:26,644
put me in touch with
the dress designer?
375
00:17:26,679 --> 00:17:28,646
Sobaski: I got a call,
376
00:17:28,681 --> 00:17:30,748
and it was a salon of ours
that we work with.
377
00:17:30,784 --> 00:17:33,384
And she said she had a really
high-profile client.
378
00:17:33,420 --> 00:17:36,020
Looking fabulous.
379
00:17:36,056 --> 00:17:38,956
Benita: So I took a couple
friends with me and my daughter,
380
00:17:38,992 --> 00:17:42,293
and I was videotaping
the meeting.
381
00:17:42,328 --> 00:17:44,062
I thought, "you know,
if this is really happening,
382
00:17:44,097 --> 00:17:46,931
I'm gonna start documenting
all this stuff."
383
00:17:46,966 --> 00:17:51,235
I knew that it was imperative
that it be kept quiet.
384
00:17:51,271 --> 00:17:56,741
So I had everybody sign
a non-disclosure agreement.
385
00:17:56,776 --> 00:18:01,012
Basically you sign to not tell
anybody anything.
386
00:18:01,047 --> 00:18:05,016
Zip it, lock it,
put it in your pocket.
387
00:18:05,051 --> 00:18:08,719
Is there going to be a lot of
italian family there?
388
00:18:08,755 --> 00:18:10,755
Are they very, like,
traditional?
389
00:18:10,790 --> 00:18:13,357
You should probably just let me
tell you everything.
390
00:18:13,393 --> 00:18:15,059
Yeah, go ahead.
391
00:18:15,095 --> 00:18:17,061
He starts asking me questions.
392
00:18:17,097 --> 00:18:18,429
You know, I explained
who paolo was.
393
00:18:18,465 --> 00:18:22,233
And then I dropped the bomb
that, "the pope is marrying us."
394
00:18:22,268 --> 00:18:23,668
yes, we're getting married
by the pope.
395
00:18:23,703 --> 00:18:25,670
Oh, my god.
396
00:18:25,705 --> 00:18:27,805
I literally was like,
"oh, my god."
397
00:18:27,841 --> 00:18:29,841
I couldn't believe it.
I literally sat there.
398
00:18:29,876 --> 00:18:32,143
I think I was in shock
the whole time.
399
00:18:32,178 --> 00:18:33,945
And then it just
starts sinking in.
400
00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:35,880
And I was like, "okay.
401
00:18:35,915 --> 00:18:37,748
This is a really big deal.
402
00:18:37,784 --> 00:18:39,550
This is not a joke."
403
00:18:39,586 --> 00:18:42,220
you better start designing,
matthew!
404
00:18:42,255 --> 00:18:44,489
The pressure was on.
405
00:18:44,524 --> 00:18:46,991
I mean, it was on.
The pressure was definitely on.
406
00:18:47,026 --> 00:18:48,593
So this is that lace,
which I love.
407
00:18:48,628 --> 00:18:50,695
Is it a ball gown?
Is it a trumpet?
408
00:18:50,730 --> 00:18:51,796
We're gonna show off
your curves.
409
00:18:51,831 --> 00:18:53,898
What is the pope gonna want?
410
00:18:53,933 --> 00:18:55,433
'cause I really like
to show curves,
411
00:18:55,468 --> 00:18:56,767
like marilyn monroe, right?
412
00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:58,769
And I'm thinking,
"is he gonna go, 'whoa'?"
413
00:18:58,805 --> 00:19:01,205
[ laughter ]
414
00:19:01,241 --> 00:19:07,111
♪
415
00:19:07,147 --> 00:19:09,747
benita: Paolo claimed that
the vatican had offered us
416
00:19:09,782 --> 00:19:10,848
the pope's summer residence,
417
00:19:10,884 --> 00:19:15,219
which is in a small, beautiful,
romantic little town
418
00:19:15,255 --> 00:19:18,489
called castel gandolfo.
419
00:19:18,525 --> 00:19:21,926
It's about a 40-minute drive
outside of rome.
420
00:19:21,961 --> 00:19:25,429
[ bell rings ]
421
00:19:25,465 --> 00:19:28,199
he said he had secured a castle,
422
00:19:28,234 --> 00:19:29,534
and that's where
everybody was staying.
423
00:19:29,569 --> 00:19:32,637
Tarnopol: It made perfect sense
in the scheme of
424
00:19:32,672 --> 00:19:35,740
the whole prince charming thing
that we would stay in a castle.
425
00:19:35,775 --> 00:19:39,710
Benita: He would reveal the
surprises to me sort of slowly,
426
00:19:39,746 --> 00:19:41,445
one by one.
427
00:19:41,481 --> 00:19:42,880
The very first thing he told me
was that
428
00:19:42,916 --> 00:19:48,452
andrea bocelli was going to be
singing in the church.
429
00:19:48,488 --> 00:19:50,021
I was like, "wow, really?"
430
00:19:50,056 --> 00:19:51,355
she said he said that
431
00:19:51,391 --> 00:19:55,626
his mother and andrea bocelli's
mother knew each other
432
00:19:55,662 --> 00:19:57,161
because they were from
the same town in Italy.
433
00:19:57,197 --> 00:19:59,497
And then he added that
434
00:19:59,532 --> 00:20:05,870
john legend was going to be
playing during the ceremony.
435
00:20:05,905 --> 00:20:08,706
I had just read
that you can actually
436
00:20:08,741 --> 00:20:10,508
pay john legend to perform
at a private party.
437
00:20:10,543 --> 00:20:14,612
Surgeons are known to have
money, so I would think okay.
438
00:20:14,647 --> 00:20:16,113
Benita: Then it was elton john.
439
00:20:16,149 --> 00:20:18,683
I mean, the guest list
just kept growing and growing.
440
00:20:18,718 --> 00:20:22,520
Sarah:
The beckhams, the obamas.
441
00:20:22,555 --> 00:20:25,056
The clintons.
The clintons.
442
00:20:25,091 --> 00:20:28,025
For some reason, russell crowe
was on the list.
443
00:20:28,061 --> 00:20:32,597
So the invitation came wrapped
in a lambskin envelope.
444
00:20:32,632 --> 00:20:37,835
And it was really fancy with
gold lettering and embossed.
445
00:20:37,870 --> 00:20:40,771
Goldberg: The wedding wasn't
just one and done.
446
00:20:40,807 --> 00:20:44,375
It was to be a full
four-day affair.
447
00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:47,812
That meant benita needed
four beautiful gowns.
448
00:20:47,847 --> 00:20:54,585
♪
449
00:20:54,621 --> 00:21:01,259
♪
450
00:21:01,294 --> 00:21:05,029
benita: So paolo wanted this
very elaborate wedding dance.
451
00:21:05,064 --> 00:21:07,832
And it was gonna culminate in me
coming out in this ball gown.
452
00:21:07,867 --> 00:21:10,968
Sobaski: But he wanted the skirt
to come off,
453
00:21:11,004 --> 00:21:14,171
and so she could show off,
like, you know, her moves.
454
00:21:14,207 --> 00:21:21,012
He was just gonna grab her,
pull her in, and then rip.
455
00:21:21,047 --> 00:21:23,681
There we go.
[ laughs ]
456
00:21:23,716 --> 00:21:27,718
goldberg: While benita is being
fitted for her gorgeous dresses,
457
00:21:27,754 --> 00:21:29,420
she says paolo is becoming
458
00:21:29,455 --> 00:21:32,056
increasingly stressed
about work.
459
00:21:32,091 --> 00:21:38,496
And one morning she wakes up
and reads in the new york times
460
00:21:38,531 --> 00:21:41,799
that colleagues at
the karolinska institute
461
00:21:41,834 --> 00:21:45,970
are accusing him of
scientific misconduct.
462
00:21:46,005 --> 00:21:47,405
I'm like,
"what the hell is going on?
463
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:48,739
Why didn't you tell me?"
464
00:21:48,775 --> 00:21:52,910
he was adamant that there was
no basis to these allegations.
465
00:21:52,945 --> 00:21:56,681
I believed he was being
unfairly maligned.
466
00:21:56,716 --> 00:21:59,884
Goldberg: But the wedding
is still full speed ahead.
467
00:21:59,919 --> 00:22:02,920
-To the beautiful bride!
-And the wedding of a lifetime.
468
00:22:02,955 --> 00:22:05,856
-Cheers.
-Cheers.
469
00:22:05,892 --> 00:22:12,363
♪
470
00:22:12,398 --> 00:22:14,432
the excitement for this wedding
was palpable.
471
00:22:14,467 --> 00:22:16,267
With my friends,
472
00:22:16,302 --> 00:22:18,736
we started calling it
"the wedding of the century."
473
00:22:18,771 --> 00:22:22,840
it just felt like this was going
to be akin to a royal wedding.
474
00:22:22,875 --> 00:22:24,942
♪ we are golden ♪
475
00:22:24,977 --> 00:22:26,911
♪ yes, we are ♪
476
00:22:26,946 --> 00:22:31,048
it started to feel like she was
princess diana or something.
477
00:22:31,084 --> 00:22:35,586
[ cheers and applause ]
478
00:22:35,621 --> 00:22:39,457
goldberg: And after the wedding,
it's been decided.
479
00:22:39,492 --> 00:22:41,025
Paolo, benita, and her daughter
480
00:22:41,060 --> 00:22:45,062
are going to live in barcelona,
where paolo has a home.
481
00:22:45,098 --> 00:22:47,465
The countdown is on.
482
00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:49,700
Benita quits her television job
483
00:22:49,736 --> 00:22:51,902
and pulls her daughter
out of her private school
484
00:22:51,938 --> 00:22:55,606
and gets ready to move.
485
00:22:55,641 --> 00:22:58,442
Three or four times we were
supposed to go to barcelona,
486
00:22:58,478 --> 00:23:00,911
and every time,
at the last minute,
487
00:23:00,947 --> 00:23:02,279
there was an emergency surgery.
488
00:23:02,315 --> 00:23:03,647
Every single time.
489
00:23:03,683 --> 00:23:06,617
Matt: Her leaving her job
and having never been there,
490
00:23:06,652 --> 00:23:07,685
I was kind of like,
"wow, that's odd."
491
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:12,089
♪
492
00:23:12,125 --> 00:23:14,825
benita: I had asked a group of
girlfriends to go to the spa.
493
00:23:14,861 --> 00:23:17,328
I'm walking up to
the reception desk to pay,
494
00:23:17,363 --> 00:23:18,929
and I pull out my phone.
495
00:23:18,965 --> 00:23:20,631
I see this e-mail.
496
00:23:20,666 --> 00:23:21,999
The subject line just says,
"the pope."
497
00:23:22,034 --> 00:23:24,935
she looked stricken.
498
00:23:24,971 --> 00:23:25,836
It was like somebody
knocked the wind out of me.
499
00:23:25,872 --> 00:23:28,539
I was -- I felt sick.
500
00:23:36,015 --> 00:23:39,550
Fontana:
Benita organized a spa day.
501
00:23:39,585 --> 00:23:41,018
We were all having a great time.
502
00:23:41,053 --> 00:23:45,289
She was looking at her phone,
and she looked worried.
503
00:23:45,324 --> 00:23:46,924
I see this e-mail.
504
00:23:46,959 --> 00:23:50,728
And it's from a colleague
and it says, "we need to talk."
505
00:23:50,763 --> 00:23:52,196
and it has a link to an article
that shows that
506
00:23:52,231 --> 00:23:56,634
the pope is not going to be
in rome on July 11th.
507
00:23:56,669 --> 00:23:58,569
He's going to be
in south america.
508
00:23:58,604 --> 00:23:59,870
Goldberg:
According to this news report,
509
00:23:59,906 --> 00:24:03,808
the pope is not only going to be
on a different continent
510
00:24:03,843 --> 00:24:05,743
on the day of their wedding,
511
00:24:05,778 --> 00:24:09,413
the trip has been planned
for quite some time.
512
00:24:09,449 --> 00:24:14,819
Benita: I actually literally
almost physically fell over.
513
00:24:14,854 --> 00:24:17,588
She looked stricken,
and her friend said,
514
00:24:17,623 --> 00:24:19,023
"is everything okay?"
515
00:24:19,058 --> 00:24:21,058
and she said, "no.
516
00:24:21,093 --> 00:24:22,126
The pope is going to be
in south america
517
00:24:22,161 --> 00:24:23,994
on the day of my wedding."
518
00:24:24,030 --> 00:24:28,566
and we all just got really quiet
and were kind of like,
519
00:24:28,601 --> 00:24:31,469
"oh, my god. Oh, my god."
520
00:24:31,504 --> 00:24:33,170
benita: It was like somebody
knocked the wind out of me.
521
00:24:33,206 --> 00:24:35,473
I felt sick.
522
00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:36,807
And I immediately start
blowing up paolo's phone.
523
00:24:36,843 --> 00:24:38,442
I'm screaming at him.
524
00:24:38,478 --> 00:24:40,077
I'm like, "what the hell
is going on?"
525
00:24:40,112 --> 00:24:42,179
he said, "look, somebody is
trying to undermine the pope."
526
00:24:42,215 --> 00:24:44,582
the former pope benedict,
527
00:24:44,617 --> 00:24:45,716
who was much more conservative
than francis,
528
00:24:45,751 --> 00:24:48,719
would never approve of
what francis was about to do.
529
00:24:48,754 --> 00:24:50,821
So paolo's explanation was that
530
00:24:50,857 --> 00:24:52,790
benedict had gone behind
francis' back
531
00:24:52,825 --> 00:24:56,694
and made it so that the pope
couldn't do our wedding.
532
00:24:56,729 --> 00:24:58,429
And that he was gonna
fly to rome
533
00:24:58,464 --> 00:24:59,497
and get to the bottom of this
and not to worry.
534
00:24:59,532 --> 00:25:02,466
"I'll fix this."
535
00:25:02,502 --> 00:25:08,138
after the phone call,
she was absolutely frightened.
536
00:25:08,174 --> 00:25:10,841
She said, "oh, my god.
537
00:25:10,877 --> 00:25:13,777
Oh, my god.
What if this is all a lie?"
538
00:25:13,813 --> 00:25:15,379
and then it was just...
From there.
539
00:25:15,414 --> 00:25:17,548
She just kind of
woke up from a --
540
00:25:17,583 --> 00:25:22,920
from a cloud of love and romance
and started asking questions.
541
00:25:22,955 --> 00:25:25,055
I called the castle
542
00:25:25,091 --> 00:25:27,658
where he says
he's booked all these rooms,
543
00:25:27,693 --> 00:25:30,828
and everybody's saying
they never heard of him.
544
00:25:30,863 --> 00:25:34,298
I called the restaurant that he
said was catering the wedding.
545
00:25:34,333 --> 00:25:38,035
They say they've never heard
of anything.
546
00:25:38,070 --> 00:25:39,370
The phone calls I could've made
at any second,
547
00:25:39,405 --> 00:25:42,706
but I didn't because everything
was supposed to be a surprise.
548
00:25:42,742 --> 00:25:45,409
Goldberg: Benita starts
investigating paolo
549
00:25:45,444 --> 00:25:48,145
the way she would investigate
her stories at work.
550
00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:50,814
She also hires
private investigators
551
00:25:50,850 --> 00:25:53,484
in the states and Italy.
552
00:25:53,519 --> 00:25:54,552
Envision an onion,
553
00:25:54,587 --> 00:25:57,888
and you start peeling the layers
back of the onion.
554
00:25:57,924 --> 00:26:02,159
She basically started
to uncover everything,
555
00:26:02,194 --> 00:26:05,663
layer by layer, piece by piece.
556
00:26:05,698 --> 00:26:08,065
Goldberg: She's also playing
a good, old-fashioned game
557
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:09,667
of cat and mouse.
558
00:26:09,702 --> 00:26:11,835
She decides to let paolo think
559
00:26:11,871 --> 00:26:13,971
nothing has changed
in their relationship
560
00:26:14,006 --> 00:26:16,840
to buy her some time
to figure out
561
00:26:16,876 --> 00:26:19,009
exactly what is going on here.
562
00:26:19,045 --> 00:26:23,113
♪
563
00:26:23,149 --> 00:26:24,582
benita:
So then he proceeds to tell me
564
00:26:24,617 --> 00:26:26,250
that they're gonna
bring the pope back.
565
00:26:26,285 --> 00:26:27,718
The wedding's still on.
Okay.
566
00:26:27,753 --> 00:26:30,220
At the same time, the --
567
00:26:30,256 --> 00:26:32,022
things are heating up with
the scientific allegations,
568
00:26:32,058 --> 00:26:33,223
which is very convenient timing.
569
00:26:33,259 --> 00:26:36,327
Goldberg: The karolinska
institute is deep into
570
00:26:36,362 --> 00:26:38,762
a formal investigation
into those claims
571
00:26:38,798 --> 00:26:39,930
coming from colleagues
572
00:26:39,966 --> 00:26:44,868
that paolo has fabricated parts
of his medical research.
573
00:26:44,904 --> 00:26:48,505
I basically said, "we can't get
married right now anyway.
574
00:26:48,541 --> 00:26:49,607
You're way too stressed.
575
00:26:49,642 --> 00:26:53,177
I think the best thing we do
is postpone the wedding.
576
00:26:53,212 --> 00:26:55,212
I'll send out a note
canceling it."
577
00:26:55,247 --> 00:26:57,781
tarnopol: 300 people already
bought plane tickets,
578
00:26:57,817 --> 00:27:01,085
and you have to
somehow let them know.
579
00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:05,155
So she somehow
created an e-mail.
580
00:27:05,191 --> 00:27:07,224
Benita: It was so hard to know
what to say.
581
00:27:07,259 --> 00:27:11,295
I was blowing up everybody's
dream, not just my dream.
582
00:27:11,330 --> 00:27:14,164
"dear family and friends,
583
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:16,700
it is with an extraordinarily
heavy heart
584
00:27:16,736 --> 00:27:19,403
that I write to inform you
that due to unforeseen
585
00:27:19,438 --> 00:27:20,704
and unfortunate
personal circumstances,
586
00:27:20,740 --> 00:27:23,641
we have to cancel our July 11th
wedding in Italy.
587
00:27:23,676 --> 00:27:26,577
We greatly respect the lengths
and expense you've undertaken
588
00:27:26,612 --> 00:27:29,346
in order to make plans to
celebrate with us this summer.
589
00:27:29,382 --> 00:27:30,547
And we are deeply sorry
590
00:27:30,583 --> 00:27:33,350
for the great inconvenience
this causes."
591
00:27:33,386 --> 00:27:34,652
I was saying, "what?"
592
00:27:34,687 --> 00:27:36,487
if my jaw could've been
on the ground,
593
00:27:36,522 --> 00:27:37,388
it would've been on the ground.
594
00:27:37,423 --> 00:27:40,257
Oh, my god.
595
00:27:40,292 --> 00:27:42,726
It was so much
596
00:27:42,762 --> 00:27:46,897
because the staff had to put
so much work into this.
597
00:27:46,932 --> 00:27:48,599
How do I tell the workroom,
598
00:27:48,634 --> 00:27:52,136
after we've sat there
and pinned every ruffle through,
599
00:27:52,171 --> 00:27:54,538
we went through
every lace placement,
600
00:27:54,573 --> 00:27:57,074
we went through all this stuff
for benita,
601
00:27:57,109 --> 00:27:59,209
who deserved all that
beautiful work,
602
00:27:59,245 --> 00:28:01,445
and for that day, for them --
603
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:05,082
my feelings were just crushed.
604
00:28:05,117 --> 00:28:06,550
It was insane.
605
00:28:06,585 --> 00:28:09,687
It was so upsetting
for all of us,
606
00:28:09,722 --> 00:28:10,954
and we were upset for her.
607
00:28:10,990 --> 00:28:15,626
She was just starting to
discover all sorts of truths --
608
00:28:15,661 --> 00:28:19,396
or I should say discover
the lies he had told.
609
00:28:19,432 --> 00:28:21,065
And they started to pile up,
610
00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:22,166
one after another,
after another.
611
00:28:22,201 --> 00:28:26,437
Goldberg: Benita manages to get
the vatican to verify
612
00:28:26,472 --> 00:28:29,773
paolo is not
the pope's personal doctor.
613
00:28:29,809 --> 00:28:32,009
She calls in a clinton contact,
and guess what?
614
00:28:32,044 --> 00:28:33,711
They've never heard of paolo.
615
00:28:33,746 --> 00:28:38,348
And she can't find any evidence
that the obamas knew him either.
616
00:28:38,384 --> 00:28:43,353
And that engagement ring
he said was worth $100,000?
617
00:28:43,389 --> 00:28:45,689
It's worth about $1,000.
618
00:28:45,725 --> 00:28:47,357
Oh, and one other detail
619
00:28:47,393 --> 00:28:50,694
that might prevent the two
from achieving wedded bliss --
620
00:28:50,730 --> 00:28:56,133
the italian investigator tells
her he can find no evidence
621
00:28:56,168 --> 00:29:01,605
that paolo and his wife
were ever officially divorced.
622
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:03,574
But benita is not finished yet.
623
00:29:03,609 --> 00:29:08,579
She uses those non-refundable
plane tickets to head to Italy
624
00:29:08,614 --> 00:29:11,081
on what would have been
her wedding weekend.
625
00:29:11,117 --> 00:29:14,184
Benita: I wanted to go to Italy
to investigate for myself.
626
00:29:14,220 --> 00:29:20,324
I wanted to see the places I was
supposed to have been going.
627
00:29:20,359 --> 00:29:22,826
And I wanted to go to
the house in barcelona.
628
00:29:22,862 --> 00:29:24,962
I knew there was something
629
00:29:24,997 --> 00:29:27,765
hidden in that house
in barcelona.
630
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:29,333
I didn't know what it was,
631
00:29:29,368 --> 00:29:31,135
but I knew there was
a damn good reason
632
00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:32,302
he had never let me
go to that house.
633
00:29:32,338 --> 00:29:35,572
And I thought, "the only way
I'm gonna find out what it is,
634
00:29:35,608 --> 00:29:38,075
is to go there, and for him to
not know that I'm going there."
635
00:29:42,515 --> 00:29:59,163
♪
636
00:29:59,198 --> 00:30:02,900
goldberg: Days after what should
have been benita's wedding,
637
00:30:02,935 --> 00:30:05,469
she and her friends
nancy and leigh
638
00:30:05,504 --> 00:30:07,571
use those non-refundable
plane tickets
639
00:30:07,606 --> 00:30:11,308
to head to paolo's house
in barcelona.
640
00:30:11,343 --> 00:30:14,411
Benita's still playing
cat and mouse with paolo.
641
00:30:14,446 --> 00:30:24,988
She says he told her
he's in russia, working.
642
00:30:25,024 --> 00:30:26,356
I really didn't know
what I was gonna find out,
643
00:30:26,392 --> 00:30:27,958
but I wanted it on videotape.
644
00:30:27,993 --> 00:30:29,159
I had so much nervous energy.
645
00:30:29,195 --> 00:30:33,664
So we decided that I was gonna
wear this blonde wig.
646
00:30:33,699 --> 00:30:35,232
Goldberg: Fully disguised
in a platinum wig
647
00:30:35,267 --> 00:30:37,401
with her girl posse...
648
00:30:37,436 --> 00:30:39,503
I think, deep down,
she wanted to see him
649
00:30:39,538 --> 00:30:44,441
and look him in the eye and ask
him like, "what the hell?"
650
00:30:44,476 --> 00:30:46,743
benita: He lives, like,
at the top of this hill.
651
00:30:46,779 --> 00:30:49,580
And we get to the top,
and I was shaking.
652
00:30:49,615 --> 00:30:50,781
We drive by the house.
653
00:30:50,816 --> 00:30:53,917
And I'm watching behind, and
all of a sudden I see somebody.
654
00:30:53,953 --> 00:30:55,853
So I yell to the --
to my friends.
655
00:30:55,888 --> 00:30:57,487
I'm like, "somebody's there."
656
00:30:57,523 --> 00:30:59,756
and they jump out of the car.
657
00:30:59,792 --> 00:31:03,927
And they walk down the hill.
658
00:31:03,963 --> 00:31:05,295
Goldberg: What do you know?
659
00:31:05,331 --> 00:31:06,864
It's paolo.
660
00:31:06,899 --> 00:31:13,804
And he's not in russia.
661
00:31:13,839 --> 00:31:14,972
And I was angry as hell.
662
00:31:15,007 --> 00:31:26,483
I was angry as hell.
663
00:31:26,518 --> 00:31:31,755
As I'm videotaping this,
I see a woman and two kids.
664
00:31:31,790 --> 00:31:39,630
From what I could tell,
he had a whole family there.
665
00:31:39,665 --> 00:31:41,164
That was unexpected.
666
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:43,267
So that kind of threw
667
00:31:43,302 --> 00:31:45,802
a little monkey wrench in it
for all of us.
668
00:31:45,838 --> 00:31:47,371
I knew paolo had a wife.
669
00:31:47,406 --> 00:31:49,206
I knew about the wife in Italy.
670
00:31:49,241 --> 00:31:56,713
The woman in barcelona
is not his wife.
671
00:31:56,749 --> 00:31:58,081
Up until then, I had been
672
00:31:58,117 --> 00:31:59,283
thinking about
getting out of the car.
673
00:31:59,318 --> 00:32:01,184
Once I saw those kids,
I couldn't move.
674
00:32:01,220 --> 00:32:08,825
So we ring the doorbell,
and he answers the door.
675
00:32:08,861 --> 00:32:10,160
I had my phone on and, you know,
676
00:32:10,195 --> 00:32:13,630
I didn't get a good shot of him,
but I got his feet.
677
00:32:13,666 --> 00:32:22,706
And he's like,
"why are you here?"
678
00:32:22,741 --> 00:32:23,840
and we're like, "oh,
we wanted to give you a gift,
679
00:32:23,876 --> 00:32:26,543
you know, for the wedding,
680
00:32:26,578 --> 00:32:37,454
for the wedding that never
happened," basically.
681
00:32:37,489 --> 00:32:40,724
His eyes, his eyeballs,
he was looking down,
682
00:32:40,759 --> 00:32:42,025
and they were going like...
683
00:32:42,061 --> 00:32:43,226
[ trilling tongue ]
684
00:32:43,262 --> 00:32:45,796
like, he was calculating.
685
00:32:45,831 --> 00:32:46,730
He was trying to figure out
what lie he told
686
00:32:46,765 --> 00:32:49,032
and what he was gonna say next.
687
00:32:49,068 --> 00:32:51,401
And then he said,
"well, where's your car?"
688
00:32:51,437 --> 00:32:52,669
he didn't even invite us in.
689
00:32:52,705 --> 00:32:56,740
And normally, you would think
if somebody traveled this far,
690
00:32:56,775 --> 00:33:01,244
you know, you're like, "oh, can
I get you a water or coffee?"
691
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,613
benita: I see him walk
back up the stairs.
692
00:33:03,649 --> 00:33:06,116
I mean, my -- my friends
open the car door.
693
00:33:06,151 --> 00:33:09,753
I'm...Not even crying.
694
00:33:09,788 --> 00:33:18,128
I'm wailing.
695
00:33:18,163 --> 00:33:22,432
The last time I ever saw him
was when he turned around
696
00:33:22,468 --> 00:33:28,138
and walked up those stairs
to go to his house in barcelona.
697
00:33:28,173 --> 00:33:31,174
I decided to text him.
698
00:33:31,210 --> 00:33:33,510
I basically sent him
this long text
699
00:33:33,545 --> 00:33:36,446
telling him that I knew
he was lying about everything,
700
00:33:36,482 --> 00:33:38,482
and he makes me sick.
701
00:33:38,517 --> 00:33:40,417
He writes back one word.
702
00:33:40,452 --> 00:33:42,386
"wow!"
703
00:33:42,421 --> 00:33:44,654
that's all he said.
704
00:33:44,690 --> 00:33:45,822
"wow!"
705
00:33:45,858 --> 00:33:47,591
I was devastated.
706
00:33:47,626 --> 00:33:49,760
I was shattered.
707
00:33:49,795 --> 00:33:51,895
She had quit her job.
708
00:33:51,930 --> 00:33:53,864
She had no money coming in.
709
00:33:53,899 --> 00:33:56,933
She took her daughter
out of school.
710
00:33:56,969 --> 00:34:01,038
It was awful.
711
00:34:01,073 --> 00:34:04,074
Sarah: She honestly went
pretty dark and silent.
712
00:34:04,109 --> 00:34:09,212
We just, you know, felt awful
for her, awful for my niece.
713
00:34:09,248 --> 00:34:13,016
Just trying to wrap our brains
around everything,
714
00:34:13,052 --> 00:34:15,385
how it could all
blow up like that
715
00:34:15,421 --> 00:34:18,555
and how we could all
be so fooled.
716
00:34:18,590 --> 00:34:21,091
It's different than any other
kind of loss or breakup
717
00:34:21,126 --> 00:34:24,928
because in an odd way
there's nothing to grieve
718
00:34:24,963 --> 00:34:28,131
because the person that
I thought I was in love with
719
00:34:28,167 --> 00:34:29,699
didn't exist.
720
00:34:29,735 --> 00:34:32,836
At the same time,
it's extraordinarily painful
721
00:34:32,871 --> 00:34:36,940
and devastating beyond belief
on so many levels.
722
00:34:36,975 --> 00:34:38,708
Goldberg: On top of everything,
723
00:34:38,744 --> 00:34:41,411
benita has to tell her daughter.
724
00:34:41,447 --> 00:34:43,780
It's one thing to play with me
725
00:34:43,816 --> 00:34:47,050
and to fool me and to pull
your [bleep] on me.
726
00:34:47,086 --> 00:34:49,052
A little girl?
727
00:34:49,088 --> 00:34:50,187
A little girl that
just lost her dad?
728
00:34:50,222 --> 00:34:52,055
How dare you?
729
00:34:52,091 --> 00:34:54,291
How dare you?
730
00:34:54,326 --> 00:34:55,959
He sat in front
of this little girl
731
00:34:55,994 --> 00:34:59,496
and talked to her about the life
she's gonna have in barcelona,
732
00:34:59,531 --> 00:35:02,466
the whole time knowing
it's a bunch of crap, you know?
733
00:35:02,501 --> 00:35:03,900
How do you do that?
734
00:35:03,936 --> 00:35:08,105
How do you do that to a child?
735
00:35:08,140 --> 00:35:09,172
Cumba: When there's somebody
that you care about,
736
00:35:09,208 --> 00:35:13,577
and they finally put their guard
down to be loved,
737
00:35:13,612 --> 00:35:16,480
to have this piece of crap
person come in
738
00:35:16,515 --> 00:35:19,749
and just be such
a good con artist,
739
00:35:19,785 --> 00:35:22,085
it still breaks my heart
to this day.
740
00:35:22,121 --> 00:35:24,421
Goldberg:
Benita still agonizes over it,
741
00:35:24,456 --> 00:35:27,057
dissecting it piece by piece.
742
00:35:27,092 --> 00:35:28,959
It's not like somebody
was standing there
743
00:35:28,994 --> 00:35:30,694
waving a red flag, saying,
744
00:35:30,729 --> 00:35:32,662
"caution, caution,
this man's a fake."
745
00:35:32,698 --> 00:35:34,531
the fact that he was often
746
00:35:34,566 --> 00:35:36,433
canceling plans
at the last minute,
747
00:35:36,468 --> 00:35:38,735
the fact that there were always
these emergency surgeries.
748
00:35:38,770 --> 00:35:40,303
But most of those things
749
00:35:40,339 --> 00:35:42,739
had plausible explanations
at the time,
750
00:35:42,774 --> 00:35:44,608
especially in the line of work
that he's in.
751
00:35:44,643 --> 00:35:48,411
I think that it's much easier
for somebody to con people
752
00:35:48,447 --> 00:35:50,514
the more successful they are.
753
00:35:50,549 --> 00:35:53,283
When somebody is
very successful,
754
00:35:53,318 --> 00:35:56,686
we tend to
sometimes idolize them,
755
00:35:56,722 --> 00:35:59,022
suspend our beliefs more,
756
00:35:59,057 --> 00:36:01,291
even if they tell us
the most incredible things,
757
00:36:01,326 --> 00:36:03,927
mainly because
they have such stature.
758
00:36:03,962 --> 00:36:06,429
I just can't help but wonder,
759
00:36:06,465 --> 00:36:09,065
had she not uncovered it,
760
00:36:09,101 --> 00:36:11,501
how far he would have taken it.
761
00:36:11,537 --> 00:36:14,271
To leave her at the altar?
762
00:36:14,306 --> 00:36:16,206
I don't know what
his end game was.
763
00:36:16,241 --> 00:36:18,074
I don't think
he had an end game.
764
00:36:18,110 --> 00:36:20,243
Benita: So that's the
million-dollar question, right?
765
00:36:20,279 --> 00:36:21,378
Why the hell do this?
766
00:36:21,413 --> 00:36:22,779
Why do this to anybody?
767
00:36:22,814 --> 00:36:27,851
♪
768
00:36:27,886 --> 00:36:30,587
why did you do this to me?
769
00:36:30,622 --> 00:36:35,025
Why would you do that
to anybody?
770
00:36:35,060 --> 00:36:38,195
She believed in the love.
771
00:36:38,230 --> 00:36:43,733
And then to have all of that
just fall apart
772
00:36:43,769 --> 00:36:51,074
in the worst of ways
was almost unbearable.
773
00:36:51,109 --> 00:36:56,780
What would you do if
you had given up your life
774
00:36:56,815 --> 00:37:00,584
for something that you
believed in and trusted?
775
00:37:00,619 --> 00:37:04,788
♪
776
00:37:04,823 --> 00:37:06,456
benita: As devastated as I was
777
00:37:06,491 --> 00:37:07,857
and as much as I wanted to
crawl under the covers
778
00:37:07,893 --> 00:37:09,459
and hide and stay there,
779
00:37:09,494 --> 00:37:12,262
I knew I couldn't fall apart.
780
00:37:12,297 --> 00:37:13,563
I couldn't fall apart
because I am a single mother
781
00:37:13,599 --> 00:37:15,899
with a daughter who needs me.
782
00:37:15,934 --> 00:37:20,937
I couldn't fall apart because
if he's lying to me like this,
783
00:37:20,973 --> 00:37:24,040
there's no way he's not lying
784
00:37:24,076 --> 00:37:27,344
in his medical
and professional life.
785
00:37:34,653 --> 00:37:36,086
Goldberg: After the wedding
of benita's dreams
786
00:37:36,121 --> 00:37:38,521
turns into
the con of a lifetime,
787
00:37:38,557 --> 00:37:40,190
could it be possible
788
00:37:40,225 --> 00:37:43,693
paolo is not on the up-and-up
in his medical life?
789
00:37:43,729 --> 00:37:49,566
Could his revolutionary plastic
tracheas be too good to be true?
790
00:37:49,601 --> 00:37:52,469
Well, it's complicated.
791
00:37:52,504 --> 00:37:55,572
Swedish journalist bo lindquist
792
00:37:55,607 --> 00:37:58,608
spent a year following paolo
for a documentary,
793
00:37:58,644 --> 00:38:00,677
tracking those allegations
794
00:38:00,712 --> 00:38:04,748
surfacing from colleagues
in the medical community
795
00:38:04,783 --> 00:38:07,250
that paolo may be
downplaying the risk
796
00:38:07,286 --> 00:38:12,289
and embellishing the success
of some of his surgeries.
797
00:38:12,324 --> 00:38:14,491
According to paolo's
scientific writings,
798
00:38:14,526 --> 00:38:18,328
yes, you could see a healthy
trachea starting to develop.
799
00:38:18,363 --> 00:38:22,198
According to the real biopsies,
there was nothing.
800
00:38:22,234 --> 00:38:23,833
It was dead.
801
00:38:23,869 --> 00:38:27,704
There was fungi
growing on the plastic.
802
00:38:27,739 --> 00:38:29,105
Goldberg: Questions arise
as patients receiving
803
00:38:29,141 --> 00:38:32,242
his synthetic organ transplants
begin to die.
804
00:38:32,277 --> 00:38:36,513
His patient from his first
revolutionary surgery dies,
805
00:38:36,548 --> 00:38:38,615
as does the little girl
806
00:38:38,650 --> 00:38:41,418
that benita followed
for her documentary.
807
00:38:41,453 --> 00:38:45,488
Paolo implanted his plastic
trachea in eight patients.
808
00:38:45,524 --> 00:38:46,723
One is alive.
809
00:38:46,758 --> 00:38:49,125
Seven dead, one alive.
810
00:38:49,161 --> 00:38:52,028
Goldberg: Paolo denies
that his transplants
811
00:38:52,064 --> 00:38:53,496
shortened the lives
of these patients
812
00:38:53,532 --> 00:38:55,131
or caused their deaths
813
00:38:55,167 --> 00:38:58,768
and notes that their underlying
health conditions were fatal
814
00:38:58,804 --> 00:39:01,471
and may have been a factor.
815
00:39:01,506 --> 00:39:03,506
Reporter: Do you still believe
in the procedure?
816
00:39:03,542 --> 00:39:06,209
Of course I believe in
the technology
817
00:39:06,244 --> 00:39:10,280
and, come on, I mean,
the first liver transplant,
818
00:39:10,315 --> 00:39:13,817
the first kidney transplant,
the first heart transplant.
819
00:39:13,852 --> 00:39:16,553
Did they go all well?
No.
820
00:39:16,588 --> 00:39:19,189
If you do something
such radically new,
821
00:39:19,224 --> 00:39:21,524
you expect complications.
822
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:23,727
At the karolinska institute
in sweden,
823
00:39:23,762 --> 00:39:27,764
paolo is eventually found guilty
of scientific misconduct
824
00:39:27,799 --> 00:39:31,368
for misrepresenting the results
of his transplants.
825
00:39:31,403 --> 00:39:33,503
He loses his post there.
826
00:39:33,538 --> 00:39:34,871
Reporter: And just weeks ago,
827
00:39:34,906 --> 00:39:37,440
swedish prosecutors
later charded paolo
828
00:39:37,476 --> 00:39:38,808
with aggravated assault
829
00:39:38,844 --> 00:39:41,010
relating to three
of his surgeries.
830
00:39:41,046 --> 00:39:43,046
A court date
has yet to be announced.
831
00:39:43,081 --> 00:39:45,749
Goldberg: He wouldn't comment
for this story,
832
00:39:45,784 --> 00:39:48,051
and he's never
publicly commented
833
00:39:48,086 --> 00:39:50,854
on his relationship with benita.
834
00:39:50,889 --> 00:39:59,028
♪
835
00:39:59,064 --> 00:40:03,400
it's now been five years since
the wedding that never was.
836
00:40:03,435 --> 00:40:07,036
-To the beautiful bride.
-And the wedding of a lifetime.
837
00:40:07,072 --> 00:40:09,172
♪
838
00:40:09,207 --> 00:40:14,811
I, sort of without meaning to,
became a "love con" expert.
839
00:40:14,846 --> 00:40:16,980
I hope that my story
can help other women
840
00:40:17,015 --> 00:40:20,617
because if it can happen to me,
it can happen to anyone.
841
00:40:20,652 --> 00:40:22,185
I do still believe in love.
842
00:40:22,220 --> 00:40:25,922
I have always been a hopeless
romantic, always will be.
843
00:40:25,957 --> 00:40:27,157
I love you, I love you,
I love you, I love you.
844
00:40:27,192 --> 00:40:30,260
I'm just -- I'm really afraid
to let somebody in there again.
845
00:40:30,295 --> 00:40:34,431
♪
846
00:40:34,466 --> 00:40:36,299
you take such a hit
from something like this,
847
00:40:36,334 --> 00:40:39,102
it takes a while
to trust yourself.
848
00:40:39,137 --> 00:40:41,471
I mean, I think that's been
the hardest part about it.
849
00:40:41,506 --> 00:40:44,007
It's not even so much about
trusting other people.
850
00:40:44,042 --> 00:40:46,309
It's about trusting myself.
851
00:40:46,344 --> 00:40:49,946
But I will say that
five years later,
852
00:40:49,981 --> 00:40:52,449
I do feel like
I'm back on my feet.
853
00:40:52,484 --> 00:40:55,018
I'm a little worse for the wear,
maybe.
854
00:40:55,053 --> 00:40:59,189
The one thing I was really
adamant with myself about
855
00:40:59,224 --> 00:41:00,890
is I didn't want this
to make me bitter.
856
00:41:00,926 --> 00:41:04,894
I didn't want to give him
the added power
857
00:41:04,930 --> 00:41:07,530
of having a lasting,
negative impact on my life.
858
00:41:07,566 --> 00:41:09,933
I'm still exactly
who I was before.
859
00:41:09,968 --> 00:41:13,870
I just went through
this crazy ordeal.
860
00:41:13,905 --> 00:41:15,472
And it has made me stronger.
861
00:41:15,507 --> 00:41:18,541
♪
862
00:41:18,577 --> 00:41:19,942
-- captions by vitac --