Brinkley: All I Ever Wanted Was a Big Happy Family
Christie Brinkley was back on the stand Monday for a tearful day three in her divorce and custody case.
Resuming testimony that began Thursday, the 54-year-old Uptown Girl played up her mothering credentials to the Long Island court, portraying herself as a much better caretaker for her kids than estranged husband Peter Cook, who admitted to having an affair with an 18-year-old staffer and a $3,000-a-month online porn habit during their marriage.
“The role of family to me is the most important thing,” Brinkley told the court, while choking back sobs.
“I’m sorry I’m crying right now, but the only thing I’ve ever wanted was a big happy family.”
The Vacation star told of how horrified she was when she threw an eighth birthday party for daughter Sailor Lee, baking cakes for 40 kids and trying to put on a happy face just a week after learning of the 49-year-old architect’s infidelity.
“It was hardI was devastated,” she said. “I was in this emotional tug-of-war and discovering more every day. It was a nightmare.”
The estranged couple are facing off over who will ultimately get custody of 12-year-old Jack and Sailor, now 10.
The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit fixture recalled breaking the news to the kids, telling them “I think Daddy has fallen out of love with Mommy.”
Brinkley said she went to great lengths to shield their kids from the tabloid tumult that followed, taking them camping in Colorado without access to TV or the Web.
Brinkley said they were atop a mountain under the stars when Cook’s teenage lover, Diana Bianchi, “spilled the beans” on TV “to get her 15 minutes of fame.”
She also went over her résumé, including speaking at the United Nations about the role of a mom as a “peacemaker” and being named Mother of the Year by a New York group.
Per New York’s Newsday, Brinkley also gave a glimpse inside the home life at their $30 million spread in Bridgehampton.
The compound features a children’s library, game rooms, an art studio and music rooms, a tennis court which doubled as a skate park for Jack, and a variety of pets: a Yorkie named Pinkie, a labra-doodle dubbed Sugar, a bunny called Gracie May and an African grey Conure named Kiwi Houdini Valentine.
“He’s a bird who think he’s a cat,” quipped Brinkley.
Brinkley also announced today that because of the roller-coaster ride she’s been on with thisher fourth marriageshe wasn’t planning on dating anytime soon, particularly out of concern for the children.
“They need a lot of attention right now,” she said. “They need to be reassured how loved they are [and] how their place is strong and secure in our lives.”
Christie Brinkley’s Divorce to Have Its Close-Up
Christie Brinkley was never one to turn down a cover story.
A New York judge ruled Friday that the former supermodel’s divorce proceedings will remain open to the media, despite her soon-to-be ex-husband’s objections that their kids could suffer from the 24/7 news cycle once the couple’s dirty laundry hits the proverbial public clothesline.
“The required high burden of compelling reasons to close the courtroom has not been met,” Supreme Court Justice Mark D. Cohen wrote in his five-page decision.
“Open courtrooms, in general and in divorce actions, may provide a basis for societal education.”
Court transcripts and most records will remain sealed, however, because this is a family court case.
“We are pleased with the judge’s decision and wish this didn’t happen. Since the case hasn’t been able to be resolved, Ms. Brinkley looks forward to her day in court,” Brinkley attorney Robert S. Cohen said after court, per Newsday.
Not that Brinkley is really looking forward to dumping her private life into a fishbowl (again), however.
“I still remain hopeful that these matters can be settled privately,” the 54-year-old cover girl said in a statement today.
Brinkley filed for divorce from her admitted philanderer of a husband, architect Peter Cook, in September 2006 after 10 years of marriage after Cook admitted to having affairs with two teenage girls, including his then-17-year-old office assistant and singer Samantha Cole, who told the New York Post she was just 18 when her dalliance with Brinkley’s hubby began.
“She’s interested in paying Peter back for the adultery,” Cook’s attorney, Norman Sheresky, said. “That’s what this is all about. I think it’s going to make her look worse.”
“I don’t know of any parent who has made an appeal to keep the court open,” he added.
The estranged duo have one daughter together, Sailor, who will be 10 next month, and Cook adopted Brinkley’s son, Jack, 13, who she had with third husband Richard Taubman.
Paris Hilton Goes Pole Dancing
Paris Hilton Goes Pole Dancing
It was an eventful evening in the Big Apple for hotel heiress Paris Hilton, as she tested out her pole dancing skills at Club Marquee in New York City.
Prior to her little exotic dance routine, Hilton was reportedly over an hour late for a personal appearance at Macy’s Roosevelt Field to promote her latest fragrance, Can Can.
In an interview with Newsday before greeting the crowd of fans and onlookers, Paris talked about her latest scent, as her reps told the magazine that “gossip and jail talk were off limits.”
“(Can Can) It’s definitely my favorite of the four, it’s the sexiest - it’s really flirty, and guys really like it,” told the 26-year-old.
Ali Larter’s Valentine’s Day Promotion
Ali Larter’s Valentine’s Day Promotion
Showing off a brand new hairdo, Ali Larter spent Tuesday helping to unveil the Godiva Decadence Suite, a hotel room designed with chocolate from top to bottom at the Bryant Park Hotel in New York City.
“It’s the perfect bit of sin,” the Heroes hottie told press of “the Godiva chocolate pearls that are her private daily indulgence”.
According to Newsday reports, Larter is the face of the Belgium-based chocolatier’s annual Valentine’s Day promotion - which is the chance to win “a pampered getaway weekend for two in May” in a re-created chocolate suite at the Bryant Park Hotel.
A note informing the buyer of his or her good luck will be packaged in one of the $23 and up box of chocolates - available only in North America.