Christie Brinkley, the legendary supermodel who¡¯s graced countless magazine covers, has opened up about one of the most painful chapters of her life¡ªthe moment she discovered her husband Peter Cook¡¯s affair. In her memoir Uptown Girl, which was released on April 29, 2025, Christie doesn¡¯t hold back as she recalls what she describes as the ¡°most tormented experience¡± she¡¯s ever faced.
According to a US Weekly report, Christie came to know about her husband Peter Cook's affair after two decades of marriage. The shocking moment came in 2006, when Christie was at a high school graduation ceremony, giving a speech. That¡¯s when the father of Peter¡¯s 18-year-old assistant approached her with the devastating news about the affair. Christie had been blindsided. She describes that moment as a gut punch, a betrayal that would tear apart her marriage and publicly expose the cracks in her life.
The National Lampoon's Vacation star penned, ¡°I was so stunned that I froze,¡±remembering how she looked into the audience and saw Peter sitting with their son, Jack. ¡°As soon as I locked eyes with him, I saw Peter shaking his head, ¡®No.¡¯¡±
Reflecting on the heart-wrenching realization, Christie wrote, ¡°When your whole world falls apart in an instant, and you suddenly find yourself as the clich¨¦ middle-aged woman whose husband is involved with a much, much younger woman¡ªwhat do you do?¡±
She confronted the father of Peter's assistant, and he claimed to be a local police officer, telling her to visit the station for details. After learning the truth, Brinkley sent Cook out of the house, and their divorce and custody battle lasted six years, ultimately resulting in her gaining full custody of their children. Brinkley noted that she rarely spoke about the affair publicly, except for a single instance on the Today Show, where she felt ambushed while promoting another project.
As Brinkley recalled, her initial meeting with Cook in 1996 wasn't exactly memorable as she didn't think he was her type. However, she agreed to a date, and things moved quickly.
After Brinkley's 1995 divorce from Richard Taubman, she met Cook and felt a "sense of urgency" to provide a father figure for her son Jack. At the time, Brinkley was already a mother to Alexa Ray Joel, her daughter with ex-husband Billy Joel. Cook adopted Jack, and the couple had a daughter, Sailor, in 1998. However, their marriage ended when Brinkley discovered Cook's affair in 2006, leading to their separation and eventual divorce in 2008.
?In 2019, Peter Cook, then 60, became engaged to 21-year-old college student Alba Jancou. The couple had reportedly been dating for about a year before Cook proposed.?
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