Nigella Lawson to Meet Charles Saatchi to End Public Spat

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson has agreed to meet her ex-husband Charles Saatchi. Her decision was reportedly prompted by a public outburst from her stepdaughter, Phoebe Saatchi.

"I'll meet him. It's the only way to stop this," Lawson told friends. She has also texted Phoebe saying that she would never freeze her out.

Phoebe, Lawson's 18-year-old stepdaughter, claimed that Lawson had abandoned her, calling her cold-hearted.

"Nigella has not spoken to me since she left our house on that Sunday when the newspaper story appeared. She has behaved in a very cold-hearted way. She has been my mother since I was seven or eight and has just abandoned me. That's it," Phoebe stated.

A source close to the Saatchi family has criticised Charles Saatchi, Phoebe's father, for allowing his daughter to speak to the press and become involved in a "grimy situation". However, a family friend said that Charles Saatchi had nothing to do with Phoebe's outburst.

"She's completely devastated that she hasn't had a phone call from Nigella. Whatever issues Nigella has with Charles, she doesn't have them with Phoebe. And on top of this, Phoebe is furious with Nigella for not saying anything to defend her father and just leaving him to hang out to dry," the friend stated.

"The trouble is, Phoebe misses her so much. She was like a second mother to her, though she didn't call her 'Mummy' as she has her own mother. It was 'Nigella' or 'Nige', and sometimes even 'Darling'. And, of course, Phoebe misses her step-brother and sister, too [Bruno and Cosima Diamond, Lawson's children from a previous marriage to John Diamond]. She just finds it inconceivable that Nigella hasn't been in touch on the phone. She feels very let down."