Claudia was not damaged in this at all, so why she received compensation is beyond me. At one point I didn't think I could cope any more.
"I was at her beck and call for two years and we became good friends. I was a loyal employee. When it all kicked off I was dropped from the regular TV work I was doing. I couldn't afford to live in London any more." She added: "My ME came back with a vengeance. I was under tremendous stress and was off work for six months."
Miss Michell, who began working as a chef aged 15 after leaving £18,000-a-year Wells Cathedral School in Somerset, said her lawyers offered Schiffer half the royalties but were rejected.
"In the acknowledgments I mention Claudia and Matthew to thank them for the time I worked for them but Claudia saw this as another endorsement and was not happy with just the cover being changed," Miss Michell said.
"There was no middle ground, we simply had to do what she asked."
After going to Butler's Wharf Chef School and being nominated Young Chef of the Year in 2001, Miss Michell worked at the Lanesborough Hotel, on GMTV, UK Food and Sky One and has worked for several high-profile clients.
She added: "I've worked hard to get where I am. My mother brought me up single-handedly. I didn't deserve this and I'm very hurt by the whole affair."
A spokeswoman for Schiffer said: "Matters between Ms Michell's former publishers and Claudia Schiffer are subject to a confidentiality agreement." She disputed some of the information given to the Evening Standard by Miss Michell.
