Peter Cook can beg all he wants, but his scorned, supermodel wife isn’t ready to forgive him, the New York Daily News reports.
“She’s still very hurt, very shocked. He carried on a two-year affair,” a family member said yesterday, laughing at the notion that Christie Brinkley will reconcile with the bastard who cheated on her with a teenage singing aspirant who also happened to be his employee.
“She has to be careful because they did a prenuptial agreement. She can’t say anything bad because the prenup will be broken. It’s not in her personality to say anything bad anyway,” added the relative, who asked not to be named.
It would be one thing if Cook, 47, was guilty of a meaningless one-night stand. But according to the source, the fact that his philandering was a prolonged, devious relationship with teenage assistant Diana Bianchi is inexcusable to Christie.
“You think when there are kids involved, maybe you can find forgiveness. But this girl [Bianchi] was on TV saying all this stuff about Peter pursuing her. It’s really hurtful,” the source said. “I can’t say for sure what [Brinkley will] do next. But whatever it is, the family will totally support her. I think she’ll find love again. Everything is possible. She’s very strong.”
Cook is now on a public relations offensive, expressing deep regret over his dalliance with Bianchi through his laywer and asking Brinkley, 52, to forgive him. His lawyer Norman Sheresky, says he is in communication with his estranged wife and speaks to their daughter every day. Brinkley gave birth to daughter Sailor Lee in 1998, and her adopted, 11-year-old son from a previous marriage also lives with the couple.
Trish Bergin, a TV news anchor and friend of Cook’s, and who once dated Brinkley’s ex-husband, Billy Joel, rushed to Cook’s defense yesterday.
“Peter is not a cad. He is a good man who made a very bad mistake. I am hopeful they will now be given the privacy to work through this,” Bergin said, describing her friend as distraught and remorseful.
Bianchi’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, called Cook’s attempts to rehabilitate his image fine if they are limited to apologies, but warned the Long Island architect about portraying Bianchi untruthfully.
“If he’s going to take a position not based in reality or truth, then [Bianchi] may wind up in a position to have to file a lawsuit,” Tacopina said, specifically disputing Cook’s statement that he never took advantage of Bianchi.
“No one ever said Diana was forced physically. The question is whether or not the advances were welcome and whether she believed there would be collateral consequences if she didn’t give in to his advances,” Tacopina said. “She was making $12 an hour at a toy store when they met, and she became financially dependent on [her job at Cook’s architecture firm]. She was put in a difficult position, one that the law frowns upon.”
Tacopina said he had no immediate plans to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against Cook as a result of the sex scandal, but certainly left the door open.