Nigella Lawson makes comeback to Channel 4 with US cookery contest The Taste

Nigella Lawson is to return to our TV screens following her “quickie” divorce to Charles Saatchi with a version of her popular US series The Taste.

The Channel 4 show will see the celebrity chef joined by Anthony Bourdain and French kitchen guru Ludo Lefebvre, who both feature as judges on her US series.

The programme is set to air next year, and will see Lawson return to the channel where she rose to fame for the first time in a decade.

Dominic Bird, head of formats at Channel 4, said: "I'm thrilled that Nigella is returning to Channel 4 alongside Anthony and Ludo. The Taste promises to be a hugely exciting and compelling competition with stellar talent and exceptional cooking at its heart."

Lawson announced earlier this week that she and husband Charles Saatchi would be filing for a “quickie” divorce, with both millionaires declaring they would not make financial claims against each other.

The pair separated after photographs were published in which Saatchi, 70, was seen to grab Lawson, 53, around her throat on a restaurant terrace. He dismissed the incident as a “playful tiff” but accepted a police caution for assault.

Mother-of-two Lawson is being represented by divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who acted for Sir Paul McCartney, Prince Charles and Madonna in their divorces.

Lawson is thought to have made £8 million selling cookery books, with the rest of her £15 million fortune coming from her cookware range and television shows, watched by up to 3.3 million viewers.

She was previously married to journalist John Diamond, who died of throat cancer in 2001. They had two children, Cosima and Bruno.