Nigella Lawson, a celebrity chef, and her art mogul husband, Charles Saatchi, allegedly got into a heated argument at a restaurant in London a couple weeks ago and pictures were published showing Saatchi violently grabbing Lawson’s throat.
The pictures were published in the UK’s Evening Standard, and 70-year-old Saatchi explained himself, calling the pictures innocent and “playful.”
A witness said, “It was utterly shocking to watch. I have no doubt she was scared. She was very tearful and constantly dabbing her eyes. Nigella was very, very upset.”
But Lawson explained, “About a week ago, we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children, and I held Nigella's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point.” He added, “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."
Saatchi then attempted to explain his wife’s expression, saying "Nigella's tears were because we both hate arguing, not because she had been hurt. 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."
A rep for Lawson told Us Weekly "We will not be commenting on the images."
Lawson has two kids with ex-husband John Diamond, Cosima, 19, and Bruno, 17.