Christie Brinkley's husband Peter Cook publicly apologizes for adultery

Supermodel Christie Brinkley's fourth husband architect Peter Cook has issued a public apology to her for an extramarital affair with his 19-year-old assistant Diana Bianchi. The model had recently announced she was separating from her husband of 10 years. In a statement, the 47-year-old architect said, “I love my wife, I have loved her since the day I met her…for a lifetime I've tried to prove how much I love her. This is an aberration. I'm sorry. I'm contrite. I'm stupid. Foolish. No excuse.” Bianchi and Cook's affair spanned a year, during which the teenager worked as his assistant.

According to Cook's legal counsel Norman Sheresky, the architect is hoping that the matter does not reach divorce. “He hopes there's no divorce. If she wants one, and he certainly hopes this doesn't happen, but if (it does), it will not be nasty. She can have whatever she wants,” Sheresky said. She pointed out that with the exception of this one incident, Cook had proved to be a good husband.

“He adopted one of her other children. He's been a great husband. He wants this to go away...To beg her forgiveness. For her to take him back. He says he's married to a terrific woman,” his lawyer said, adding that so far, divorce proceedings have not been initiated by Brinkley. “Christie Brinkley has not sued her husband,” she said.

But Bianchi might be considering a sexual harassment lawsuit. According to sources, she has alleged that the relationship wasn't consensual and Cook took advantage of his professional power to involve the teenager into an affair. Bianchi said she hadn't thought their light flirtation would turn into something serious and her parents have slammed Cook for 'abusing' their young daughter. Sheresky, however, said Cook 'denies that any relationship with that person was nonconsensual'. “As he told it to me, quote, 'I took no advantage'. The idea that the other person involved didn't knowingly consent to this relationship is garbage,” she said.

Meanwhile, Brinkley's publicist Elliot Mintz said that the 52-year-old model was 'completely preoccupied with the protection of her children, trying to isolate them from all of this coverage, and trying to heal'.

After being married to artist Jean-François Allaux, singer Billy Joel, and estate developer Richard Taubman, Brinkley tied the knot with Cook in 1996. She is the mother of three children, daughter Alexa Ray, son Jack Paris and daughter Sailor Lee. Jack, the son of Taubman, was adopted by Cook when the two married while Sailor is the couple's biological child. Alexa Ray is Billy Joel's daughter.

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