Breaking her long silence, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson says she has undergone an ordeal for the past few months.

"The past months have been extremely difficult but I am looking forward to getting back to work and to looking after my family. I will survive this and move forward. I just want to focus on my family life and work," Lawson stated.

Lawson's personal life has been the centre of attention ever since her former husband, art tycoon Charles Saatchi, was pictured apparently throttling her in public.

Meanwhile, there have been fresh allegations from Charles Saatchi over Lawson's drug use. His former wife Kay Saatchi says they were horrified when they learnt of the extent of Lawson's drug use.

"Kay and Charles learnt that Nigella used drugs regularly and heavily each night, for an hour after dinner, and another hour before bed. It was a large house, and Charles spent his evenings in their bedroom, and couldn't smell the evidence because they closed the doors to the upstairs and lit scented candles," a source has been quoted as saying.

"I am furious that my daughter, Phoebe, was put into a dangerous environment with the heavy drug use of Nigella," Kay Saatchi said in a statement in the Daily Mail.

'"[Nigella] tried to involve [my] daughter in this arrangement but she refused, but kept it quiet from her father and [me] until the furore about Nigella and Charles' relationship," she added.

The statement has been endorsed by Phoebe Saatchi, Lawson's stepdaughter.

Charles Saatchi also told the Daily Mail that he was furious that he was the only person in the house who knew nothing about the drugs.

"I feel like an idiot being the only person in the house who knew nothing about the drugs. The more details I received from the staff the more betrayed I felt," he said.