The surly TV chef has won an a appeal that will allow him to go ahead and pursue a case against his estranged wife’s divorce lawyers. He claims that his wife removed 42 documents under instruction of her lawyers, Withers, for use in the proceedings relating to their financial dispute. Mrs White alleged that she took the documents because Mr White said he would leave the country, that she would never find him, that he would "pull the plug" on everything and that he owned nothing, having sold it all for £1.

Last year, Mr Justice Eady struck out the case against Withers and partner Marcus Dearle which claimed misuse of confidential or private information and wrongful interference with property. However, Lord Justice Ward, sitting in the Court of Appeal said that Mr White’s sworn assertion that his wife told him that she had been told to take his documents could not be summarily dismissed and must proceed to trial.

He commented: "It must always be remembered that solicitors are officers of the court and if they are shown to have done wrong they should face the judgment of the court.

"It is not conducive to the administration of justice that such claims are simply swept under the carpet. It is in the public interest that the bounds of proper conduct be clarified.

Withers maintains that Marco Pierre White’s allegations are completely unfounded.

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