Christie Brinkley Calls Marriage To Fourth Husband Peter Cook 'The Most Tortured Relationship I've Ever Had' — And Reveals The Moment She Learned He Was Having An Affair With An 18-Year-Old
Christie Brinkley finally opened up about her fourth husband's affair in her new memoir, 'Uptown Girl.'
April 29 2025, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Christie Brinkley has unleashed the ugly truth about her "torturous" past with Peter Cook.
The 71-year-old bombshell has kept quiet about the cheating scandal that rocked her world – but in her new memoir, Brinkley spills on what really went down after discovering her ex's 2006 affair that shattered their 12-year marriage, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Brinkley delved into the moment she found out her ex Cook was cheating on her with a teenage girl.
Referring to her fourth marriage to the architect, the model wrote: "It was the most tortured relationship I've ever had."
The former pair's explosive divorce and bitter custody war over daughter Sailor – and son Jack, whom Cook adopted – dominated headlines for years.
The former couple were together for eight years before she learned of his infidelity from a stranger.
But in her bombshell new book Uptown Girl, Brinkley goes even deeper, revealing jaw-dropping details – including the moment she uncovered his affair with a teenage girl.
Back in 2006, while delivering a graduation speech at a Hamptons high school, Brinkley's world began to unravel when a complete stranger suddenly approached her.
He said to her: "Excuse me. I need to tell you that arrogant husband of yours has been having an affair with my teenage daughter."
Remembering the moment, Brinkley wrote: "I was so stunned that I froze."
She glanced toward the crowd where Cook sat with Jack, and "As soon as I saw him," she recalled, "Peter’s eyes were already trained on my face, as he began shaking his head, 'No.'"
Brinkley added: "When your whole world falls apart and you realize in a heartbeat you’ve suddenly become the cliche middle-aged woman whose husband is having an affair with a much (much) younger woman, what do you do?"
She then turned to her tight-knit squad of fierce female friends for support – and it paid off big time.
Two of them later pushed her to dig into the family computer for answers, and one unforgettable night, the trio teamed up to do just that.
There, she said they uncovered a "labyrinth" of files.
The model recalled grabbing a group of friends to go through Cook's computer, where they found incriminating photos.
She added: "A panoply of incriminating photos and porn accounts populated the screen like fireworks, and before I knew it, my printer was shooting (beaver shots) out into the room.
"It was so insane that it was almost funny and soon enough, the three of us were doubled over in laughter, as printouts of girls in X-rated poses began piling up on the floor faster than trash outside a greasy takeaway."
Brinkley and Cook’s bitter breakup ended up spiriling into a grueling six-year court battle.
She recalled: "I kept saying I don't understand what good was a prenup? It was exhausting and scary because I always lived in fear of them taking my kids because that was the constant threat and a terrifying thing to live with.
"I got a prenup so I didn’t have to go through all this but still did. It was mind boggling and it was hard to write about."
For years, Brinkley said she "didn’t say anything to anybody."
But one day when she came out of the courtroom she told herself to "Google a narcissist."
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Brinkley recalled: "The letters started pouring in and I had so many women saying 'Thank you. I realize other women are going through it. I’m not alone.'"
Looking back, Brinkley said she feels grateful for what the ordeal ultimately gave her – her three children.
She wrote: "There were many times when I wondered if I would ever recover. Whenever I felt this, I stopped, looked inward and counted my blessings, which was a long list that always started with Alexa Ray, Jack, and Sailor."
Brinkley had already walked down the aisle four times before saying 'I do' to Cook.
Brinkley went through four marriages before tying the knot with Cook.
She was first wed to French artist Jean-Francois Allaux, next to Piano Man singer Billy Joel, followed by real estate developer Richard Taubman.
