( CNN ) -- Because he says his wife is no longer speaking to him , multimillionaire Charles Saatchi informed celebrity chef Nigella Lawson in a statement to the Daily Mail that he has begun divorce proceedings . Tension between the pair hit the tabloids after Saatchi was photographed with his hand around her neck in mid-June . Lawson and her children moved out of their family home and she has n't spoken to him since . `` 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 , '' Saatchi wrote in the statement . There was no immediate response from Lawson or her representatives to the announcement . The couple have been married for 10 years . Press , anti-violence groups scrutinize throat grab on Lawson . Lawson , known as the `` queen of food porn , '' has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted several TV shows in Britain and the United States . Saatchi , an art dealer and former media mogul , denied that he attacked Lawson but told a London newspaper that he voluntarily went to the police to accept a police warning . Victim support groups used the incident to highlight the enduring problem of domestic violence , though Saatchi said it was a playful grab . `` 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 . '' Opinion : The rich and famous are not immune to domestic abuse .
Husband announces divorce from French chef via press release . He says she is n't speaking to him . Photographs of him with his hands around her neck cause concern mid - June . Lawson and her husband move out of their London home and has n't spoken to him since .