( CNN ) -- Charles Saatchi told a London newspaper Tuesday that he went to police voluntarily over an incident in which he grabbed his wife , celebrity chef Nigella Lawson , by the throat to avoid it `` hanging over all of us for months . '' The furor over the incident dominated the British press Tuesday , a day after Saatchi accepted a police warning related to the case . In a statement to The Evening Standard newspaper , for which he is a columnist , Saatchi said : `` Although Nigella made no complaint I volunteered to go to Charing Cross station and take a police caution after a discussion with my lawyer because I thought it was better than the alternative of this hanging over all of us for months . '' Images of Saatchi , a multimillionaire art collector and former advertising magnate , with his hand around Lawson 's throat were front-page news in national papers for a second day Tuesday , after they were first published Sunday . Opinion : The rich and famous are not immune to domestic abuse . Saatchi , age 70 , looked stony-faced as he left his home in central London earlier Tuesday and declined to respond to questions from waiting journalists . London 's Metropolitan Police said a 70-year-old man `` accepted a caution for assault '' at a police station Monday afternoon but did not name Saatchi . `` Officers from the community safety unit at Westminster were aware of the Sunday People article which published on Sunday 16th June and carried out an investigation , '' a Metropolitan Police spokesman told CNN . `` This afternoon Monday 17th June , a 70-year-old man voluntarily attended a central London police station and accepted a caution for assault , '' the spokesman said . CNN contacted Saatchi 's company for comment but has not received a response . According to a UK government website , a caution is issued for minor crimes . `` Cautions are given to adults aged 18 or over for minor crimes -- eg writing graffiti on a bus shelter , '' the website says . `` You have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned . If you do n't agree , you can be arrested and charged . `` A caution is not a criminal conviction , but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime . '' Sunday People , part of the stable of tabloids published by the Mirror Group , published the photos Sunday of Lawson and Saatchi at a restaurant . The tabloid 's website includes the caption : `` Nigella Lawson attacked in public by Charles Saatchi . '' Earlier , a representative for Lawson confirmed that the chef and her children had moved out of their home . 'Playful tiff ' Saatchi gave his version of events Monday to The Evening Standard . London police : Man accepts warning in Nigella Lawson incident . `` 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 , '' Saatchi told the paper . `` 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 , '' he added . `` 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 restaurant involved told CNN that its employees did not witness any such incident . Lawson 's Facebook page is filled with messages from fans expressing their support for her . Lawson is known as the `` queen of food porn . '' She has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted TV shows . With the furor making headlines , UK domestic violence groups made the point that domestic abuse is an enduring and widespread issue . `` Domestic violence is a massive social problem in this country , '' Sandra Horley , chief executive of UK domestic violence charity Refuge , said in a statement . `` Last year over one million women were abused . Every week in England and Wales , two women are killed by current or former partners . `` There are still so many myths and misconceptions surrounding this horrific crime . People often think that it only happens in poor families ... but the truth is that domestic violence affects women of all ages , classes and backgrounds . Abusive men are just as likely to be lawyers , accountants and judges as they are cleaners or unemployed . '' Horley said that perpetrators of domestic violence `` frequently try to minimize or deny their behaviour , '' but that violent incidents rarely occur only once and can escalate to more extreme behavior . `` Research shows that strangulation is a key risk factor for domestic homicide , '' she said . `` Last year , almost 50 % of the women we supported had been strangled or choked by their abusers . '' Watch a CNN interview with Nigella Lawson . CNN 's Richard Allen Greene contributed to this report .
Sunday : Lawson tells paper he went to police to avoid an incident ` ` hanging over all of us '' Images of Saatchi with a hand around his wife 's throat were first published Sunday . Some support to use incident to highlight the enduring problem of domestic violence . A spokesperson for Lawson says she and her children have moved from the family home .