Scotland Yard is seeking “to establish the facts” of an
apparent violent row between the television chef Nigella Lawson and her husband
Charles Saatchi during which he placed his hand around her throat.
The multi-millionaire art collector and his wife were
photographed at their table outside the famous Scott’s seafood restaurant in
Mayfair eight days ago on Saatchi’s 70th birthday during a seemingly bitter
argument which left Lawson in tears.
The pictures, published by the Sunday People, showed former
advertising guru Saatchi putting his hand around Lawson’s neck four times, on
one occasion raising a second hand towards her throat and on another seeming to
grip or pinch her nose
The couple left their £12m home in London’s Chelsea in
separate taxis on Sunday morning. Both remained stony-faced and said nothing
about the photographs, which were published on the Sunday tabloid’s front page
and generated substantial comment on Twitter.
Today staff said Saatchi was not expected at the modern art
gallery, which bears his name and is a short walk up King's Road from his home,
for the launch of a new exhibition today.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it had not
received a complaint about the incident two Sundays ago but was looking into it
following the newspaper article.
The Yard said: “Officers from the Community
Safety Unit at Westminster are aware of the Sunday People article. Enquiries
are in hand to establish the facts of the incident.”
The couple, who married nine years ago following the death
of Lawson’s first husband, the journalist John Diamond, are understood to have
been at the end of their meal at Scott’s, a popular venue for celebrities such
as Pippa Middleton and Kate Winslet, when the argument broke out.
The pair are regular visitors to the restaurant, always
choosing the same outside area screened by olive trees so Saatchi, dressed in
his habitual dark suit and white open-necked shirt, can smoke.
One witness of the argument between the couple told the
Sunday People: “It was utterly shocking to watch... It was horrific really. She
was very tearful and was constantly dabbing her eyes. Nigella was very, very
upset.”
The paper reported that Lawson, 53, who has recently made
the transition from British television screens to stardom in America, appeared
to try to pacify her husband, placing a hand on his wrist and at one point
leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.
Comments on social media expressed shock at the photographs
as well as the failure of anyone to step in during the row.
Labour MP Luciana Berger tweeted: “A man reportedly grasps a
woman’s neck 4 times in public & no one intervenes, incl. photographer who
took photos.”
The television cook, who is the daughter of former
Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson, has previously spoken of a
tempestuous side to her relationship with Saatchi but there has been no sign
that the marriage is in trouble.
On the morning of their meal, Lawson tweeted a picture of
her breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and has subsequently
sent further tweets about food.
Her most
recent post was sent on Saturday lunchtime with a picture of a cup of green tea
and a toasted bagel.
In an interview in 2007 Lawson, spoke of the couple’s
contrasting temperaments, describing Saatchi as an “exploder” and herself as a
“festerer”. She said: “I’ll go quiet when he explodes, and then I am a nest of
horrible festeringness.”
Despite his wife’s status as the nation’s post-modern Delia,
Saatchi has said her cooking is “wasted” on him. Lawson once commented:
“Charles doesn’t really like proper food. He prefers a bowl of cereal.”
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