Charles Saatchi has begun divorce proceedings against his wife of 10 years Nigella Lawson just weeks after he was pictured with his hands around her throat and tweaking her nose.
The multi-millionaire art collector has decided to divorce his wife because she didn’t come to his defence when the images made world headlines. He said he had made the decision without consulting Nigella.
“I am sorry to announce that Nigella Lawson and I are getting divorced,” he told The Mail On Sunday.
“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.”
In the wake of last month’s incident, Nigella moved out of the family home with her 17-year-old son Bruno.
Throughout the aftermath of the images being release, Nigella has refused to comment.
Charles, who has commented numerous times on the incident, says that on the same day the pictures were published, he was ordered by his wife’s PR advisor Mark Hutchinson to apologise for the assault and admit he was “ashamed”.
But Charles refused and instead said to his wife his wife: “Are you crazy, you know that’s not the truth.”
Nigella told her husband, “I think we have no choice,” which sparked an argument. Charles then told Nigella to “pack her bags and go”.
Charles continues to maintain that his actions were not violent and says in his statement that Nigella has previously acted the same way towards him.
“This is heartbreaking for both of us as our love was very deep, but in the last year we have become estranged and drifted apart… The row photographed at Scott’s restaurant could equally have been Nigella grasping my neck to hold my attention – as indeed she has done in the past.”
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