Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi get approval for divorce, moving a step closer to ending marriage

British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and her art collector husband Charles Saatchi are one step closer to ending their 10-year marriage, a month after pictures of Saatchi with his hands around her neck surfaced.

During a minute-long hearing Wednesday, a British judge granted the couple a “decree nisi,” which is court approval for their divorce application, notes Reuters. The next step comes in six weeks, when a “decree absolute” can be issued which will put a formal end to the marriage.

The hearing came a day after The Daily Mail reported that Saatchi has decided to not hire lawyers for the case, instead dealing with Lawson’s lawyer Fiona Shackleton, as he seeks to keep his art collection in tact.

Last month, the British tabloids published pictures of the couple in an argument outside a restaurant. At one point, Lawson is in tears and in another image, Saatchi appears to be trying to strangle her. Saatchi later defended his actions, calling it a “playful tiff” and saying that she was not hurt.

Clearly, Lawson didn’t see it that way and she moved out. Saatchi later filed for divorce and actually said that he was disappointed that she didn’t defend him in public. She has yet to issue a statement since the pictures surfaced.

Lawson is a popular chef on both sides of the Atlantic, having hosted The Taste for ABC in the U.S. She host a U.K. version of the show on Channel 4 next year.

image: ABC

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.