TV cook Nigella Lawson appeared to move out of her home after photos seemed to show her multi-millionaire husband grabbing her around the throat.
The self-styled domestic goddess was seen clutching a suitcase as she left the £12million Chelsea flat she shares with advertising tycoon Charles Saatchi.
She was then driven away in a blue taxi alongside her son Bruno, 17.
The 53-year-old and her husband were saying nothing about the incident but police confirmed they were looking into it.
Lawson has not made a formal complaint but the Met said: ‘Inquiries are in hand to establish the facts of the incident.’
The pictures appeared to show the cookery writer and TV presenter being manhandled by her husband as they ate at their favourite outside table at Scott’s seafood restaurant in central London.
Witnesses claimed an angry Saatchi, famed for his £30million art collection, grabbed her around the neck four times.
She was said to have tried to pacify him by placing her hand on his wrist and leaning in to kiss his cheek but Saatchi, 70, marched off, leaving his wife in tears at the table.
One witness told a Sunday newspaper: ‘Nigella was very, very upset. She had a real look of fear on her face.’
Last night, the restaurant said: ‘The staff at Scott’s are aware of the allegations in the media today but did not see anything untoward happen within the restaurant.’
Lawson, the daughter of former chancellor Nigel Lawson, has previously admitted that she and her husband have fiery rows and has described him as ‘an exploder’.
