Photos surfaced that appear to show a celebrity chef being grabbed by the throat by her husband at a restaurant, sparking an uproar in the media over what some observers say looked like a violent encounter.

The chef is Nigella Lawson, who stars on the ABC cooking competition show “The Taste.” Her husband is advertising magnate Charles Saatchi.

“The photos, published by UK newspaper The Mirror’s Sunday paper, the Sunday People, show Lawson, 53, at a table enshrouded in greenery outside a restaurant with a man who appears to be Saatchi, 70. In the pictures, his hand is at her throat as she appears to be stunned by his grasp,” ABC News reports. “In another picture, the man is grabbing at Lawson’s nose as she shuts her eyes.”

The newspaper interviewed other diners about the incident, and they said it appeared to be a violent encounter, ABC News reports.

Said one witness: "It was utterly shocking to watch. I have no doubt she was scared. It was horrific, really. She was very tearful and was constantly dabbing her eyes."

The Mirror identified the restaurant as Scott’s in London’s affluent Mayfair district.

“A Scotland Yard spokesman said officers are looking ‘to establish the facts in order to assess whether an investigation is necessary,’” ABC News reports. “No arrests have been made, the spokesman said.”

Here’s a video report: