Police are looking into pictures which appear to show celebrity chef Nigella Lawson being physically restrained by her husband Charles Saatchi.
Photographs of the episode show the art collector with his hand around Lawson's neck as the pair sit on the terrace of a restaurant.
The chef appears to be grimacing in the pictures taken outside Scott's in Mayfair, central London.
Lawson became a household name in 1998 with her first cookery book, 'How to Eat'
Lawson, the daughter of former chancellor of the exchequer Nigel Lawson, was reportedly seen weeping following the episode.
The Daily Mail report she left the home she shares with Saatchi carrying a suitcase soon after.
She and Saatchi are said to be regular visitors to the upmarket restaurant, in Mount Street, which claims to offer diners the "finest" oysters and fish.
Scotland Yard said it was aware of the pictures which were published in today's Sunday People.
A spokesman said: "Inquiries are in hand to establish the facts of the incident."
He added Lawson has not made any complaint to the police.
Lawson wed Saatchi, who made his name in advertising, in 2003. She has two children, Cosima and Bruno, from her marriage to journalist John Diamond, who died of throat cancer in 2001.
Lawson and Saatchi's representatives did not respond to requests for comment today.