London:
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and art baron Charles Saatchi have taken the first legal step toward finalising the end of their marriage.
In a hearing at London's High Court lasting less than a minute, District Judge Anne Aitken granted the couple a decree nisi - the first of two stages of divorce.
The divorce of 70-year-old Saatchi and 53-year-old Lawson can become final after six weeks and a day, with the granting of a decree absolute.
The couple separated after a newspaper published photos last month of Saatchi grasping his wife's throat during an argument at a London restaurant.
In a hearing at London's High Court lasting less than a minute, District Judge Anne Aitken granted the couple a decree nisi - the first of two stages of divorce.
The divorce of 70-year-old Saatchi and 53-year-old Lawson can become final after six weeks and a day, with the granting of a decree absolute.
The couple separated after a newspaper published photos last month of Saatchi grasping his wife's throat during an argument at a London restaurant.
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