Nigella Lawson hits back at claims she plans to cut children out of will

It was reported that the TV chef planned to leave nothing to her children after she told My Weekly magazine: "I am determined that my children should have no financial security. It ruins people not having to earn money.

"I argue with my husband Charles, because he believes that you should be able to leave money to your children. I think we'll have to agree to disagree," added Lawson, 48, who shares an estimated wealth of more than £110 million with her art collector husband Charles Saatchi.

Scroll down for more...

But Lawson has now issued a statement on her website, saying she wanted to clarify the situation to save her children more embarrassment.

"Of course I have no intention of leaving my children destitute and starving - rather, this is a story that came from a comment I made about my belief that you have to work in order to learn the value of money," it reads.

"I have always said of my children that once they have finished university or training, whatever education they choose, they have to support themselves through work, as I did, but I have never discussed the details of my will with anyone.

"The story that has been circulating is not a true reflection of my intentions and, although I'd normally ignore it, I want to set the record, not least to spare my children continuing embarrassment."

The cookery writer has two children, daughter Cosima, 13, and son Bruno, 11, from her marriage to journalist John Diamond, who died of throat cancer in 2001.

Saatchi, 64, who made his name in advertising, has one daughter, Phoebe, from a previous marriage.

Lawson had a privileged upbringing.

Her father Nigel Lawson was Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher and her late mother Vanessa Salmon was a socialite and heiress to the Lyons Corner House empire.

She has sold more than three million books since becoming a household name in 1998 with her first cookery book, How to Eat.

Her most recent cookery show, Nigella Express, attracted up to 3.2 million viewers an episode on BBC2.

An earlier ITV daytime chatshow flopped after losing 40% of its viewers in the first week.