Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

After a day of gripping testimony from her ex-husband and his former teenaged lover, Christie Brinkley says she "heard a lot of new things I didn't know" in the opening of the couple's divorce trial Wednesday.

Looking upset as she gave a brief statement at Suffolk County Supreme Court in Central Islip, N.Y., the former supermodel added, "I need some time to let it all absorb." Brinkley was accompanied by her lawyer, Robert Stephan Cohen, who described the trial's opening as "a really tough day, as well as a long day."

In court, Brinkley's lawyers painted Cook, an architect, as a bad father who was fixated on Internet porn and whose affair with a then-18-year-old employee tore his marriage apart.

Cook's attorney, Norman Sheresky, explained his client's tears on the witness stand during brutal and at times humiliating questioning from attorneys: "All you've got to do is mention Peter's children ... He loves his kids. This is one of the best fathers you'll ever meet."

After Cook and his former mistress, Diana Bianchi, who is now 21, testified about intimate details of their affair, Brinkley's daughter Alexa Ray (whose father is singer Billy Joel) took the stand and told of constant criticism from Cook.

Describing a 2003 incident in which Cook allegedly became enraged that her shower was causing a leak, Alexa Ray testified, "He was pushing me down the stairs ... I went down in a towel ... and the drips were already coming down into the bucket. He shoved my head into a bucket and said, 'You clean this up.'"

During cross-examination, Alexa Ray described her mother as "very loving, but very idealistic about things."

The divorce trial – in which Brinkley, 54, and Cook, 49, are battling over custody of their children Jack, 13, and Sailor, 10 – continues Thursday.

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

dont get me wrong..I think it is terible what happaned to her and she must be awful but for the sake of her little kids dont you think she couldve handled the public divorce differently?

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

i dont feel sorry for her at all. shes the one who wanted it in open court and she got more than what she bargained for. she wanted to embarrass her STBX and she put her hatred for him ahead of her love for her children. i feel so sorry for those kids to have these two for parents.

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

Actually, I've heard that she DIDN'T want it public...she tried to settle privately, and he refused...

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

I agree, she wanted to drag him through the mud publicly and didnt care what sort of private details were brought to light - so sorry for her kids.

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

This kind of stuff happens every day, but the public is WAY too amused that it happened to someone so beautiful and successful. It's sad how insatiable our media is for bad news about "fortunate" people.

Re: Christie Brinkley 'Needs Time to Absorb' Divorce Testimony

I think with the pain and bitterness she endured she just wanted "revenge" on him and did not realize she was able to open a big can of worms.

I think she is realizing now that every single detail would be public not just that he had an affair. It goes both ways and every little dirt will be exposed. Details on their personal life also.

It's sad that her need for revenge will hurt their children.

Sometimes, it's best to move on with life and focus on real issues in a divorce. Financial distribution and custody.