Nigella Lawson’s Millionaire Husband Chokes Her in Public as No Onlookers Intervene

British chef Nigella Lawson and her wealthy husband Charles Saatchi were dining out together at one of their favourite restaurant’s in Mayfair when they appeared to get in to an argument. The couple, who were seated at a garden table by the street were at first in a verbal fight – Nigella appeared tearful during their conversation and things took a shocking turn when Charles was seen reaching out and choking Nigella several times, as well as placing his hand over her mouth (see the photos here). Despite the very public incident, no onlookers or other diners stopped to help. One person who witnessed the incident said:

“It was utterly shocking to watch. I have no doubt she was scared. It was horrific, really. She was very tearful and was constantly dabbing her eyes. Nigella was very, very upset. She had a real look of fear on her face. No man should do that to a woman. She raised her voice and got angry but at the same time was trying to calm him down, almost like you would try to calm down a child.”

Charles stormed out of the restaurant on his own and the couple were later seen both leaving their shared home in separate vehicles, possibly signifying that they’ve now opted to split for the time being, although Charles claims differently. Trying to defend his actions, Charles commented that he didn’t hurt Nigella at all:

“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 emphasise my point. 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. 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.”

The police are reportedly examining the photos.