Nigella Lawson Husband Charles Saatchi Announces Divorce In Newspaper After Choking Incident

Not long after seemingly terrifying photos of Charles Saatchi, husband of star chef Nigella Lawson, with his hands at her neck made its rounds on the Internet, Saatchi revealed to a UK newspaper the end of the couple's marriage. He said in a statement to the Daily Mail that their 10-year marriage had been falling apart over the last year and that now Lawson won't even speak to him. Shortly after the photos were made public, Lawson left the family home with her children and has made no public statement since, CNN reported.

"I feel that I have clearly been a disappointment to Nigella during the last year or so, and I am disappointed that she was advised to make no public comment to explain that I abhor violence of any kind against women, and have never abused her physically in any way," Saatchi wrote.

Lawson is a known TV personality and has written several books. Her 70-year-old husband said that he is disappointed that she was instructed to make no public comment and accused her of failing to defend him regarding the choking allegations, the New York Daily News reported. The photos in question were taken when the couple was dining in London, the first being of Saatchi putting a hand on her throat, which he insists was playful. Another photo showed Lawson leaving the establishment in tears. Lawson's story has been a part of many anti-domestic abuse campaigns to highlight the prevalence of violence against women. Saatchi maintained that the incident was not violent.

"There was no grip, it was a playful tiff. The pictures are horrific but give a far more drastic and violent impression of what took place. Nigella's tears were because we both hate arguing, not because she had been hurt," Saatchi said. "We had made up by the time we were home. The paparazzi were congregated outside our house after the story broke yesterday morning, so I told Nigella to take the kids off till the dust settled."