I don't watch an awful lot of television, but I am addicted to the gossip websites, and I've read with dismay about the Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook trial, and caught a brief interview with her after a court appearance the other day.
Does anyone else think that what she's doing is appalling?
Trawling round the blogs it seems most people applaud her for going public. She is, after all, America's sweetheart, golden and perfect, always smiling. She looks so fresh and clean, how dare he soil her with cheap mistresses (who actually turned out to be rather expensive), and porn. Porn for heaven's sake! Shock horror! Go get 'im, is their advice, and then one woman wrote Christie Brinkley had a wonderful lawyer, who had represented this woman in her own divorce, and who she refers to as her pet doberman.
It makes me shiver with horror.
There are children involved here. Small children, and whilst Ms Brinkley may say that her children are in camp and are therefore unaware of the tribulations of the trial, ugly messy divorces with each partner trying to paint the other as a monster, suffer fallout for years, and the people who are hurt most are invariably the children, who can well detect the hate and resentment simmering under the surface when they're transitioning from parent to parent.
I am divorced, and one of the things I am tremendously grateful for is that my ex-husband and I made a decision to go through mediation. I knew a trial would drag on for years, would cost me everything, but worse, would be devastating for our four small children. We were not friends, and he hated me for having the temerity to leave him. There were times in mediation when I wanted to scream with frustration, and it ended up costing me everything anyway, but I have always been financially independent, and I looked upon it as the price of my freedom. (my only words of warning for anyone considering mediation is that the stronger, bullying partner will always get more)
But even when the frustration and fury became too much to bear, I didn't have a rottweiler lawyer (I prefer rottweiler, given that I have a pet doberman who's largely 120lb of pure mush) fanning the flames of anger. I didn't have someone pushing me to reveal all the secrets and lies. I didn't have someone turning me into the worst possible person I could be. A person we all have the capacity to be, but a person I consciously chose not to be for the sake of the children.
Two years on my children are happy. They were protected from the pain, and protected from having to see their parents depicted as awful human beings. They are happy with their father, and happy with me. When they ask about their father, I talk about him with respect and kindness, and they have never, ever, heard me talk about him to friends in front of them.
Christie Brinkley may think her kids are protected, but I can assure her, they are not. They will come back to school with all the friends who will have followed every word, because who, after all, is not fascinated by sordid tales of celebrities, and not just celebrities, but celebrities who have kids in their class!
Peter Cook's story isn't a great one, but I've heard worse. So he had an affair and paid her off. So he trawled porn sites. So he had a secret life that Christie Brinkley knew nothing about, wasn't the perfect husband he appeared to be. So what? Is her humiliation really so great that she has to have this kind of revenge?
I'm not buying her golden smile and protestations that she's exhausted. She brought this upon herself. And her children. And I think when it's his turn to take the stand, she may have a glimmer of wishing she hadn't asked for their dirty laundry to be aired for everyone to examine in minute detail.
Such a shame, I think to myself. It would have been so much better for everyone to put the children first, and to agree the terms of her divorce behind the scenes. She would have been seen as graciously moving on with her life.
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While Cook's behavior is reprehensi
And, while far from perfect, the courts aim to review the facts impartiall
Frankly, I find it suspicious that the settlement came after Brinkley publicly trashed her husband but before he had the opportunit
Whatever the case, this is a family tragedy for all involved. I too question her judgment in going public in the way she did. It can only have casued harm to her children while doing nothing to help her cause or case.
If you took even a rudimentar
First, the pre-nup that Peter Cook signed held up in court so despite the fact that the children have been living with Christie, he filed for full custody - not joint custody FULL custody.
Second, in the state of New York, when a media outlet petitions a custody hearing to be open, legally, it has to be, it was the media's request that caused it to be public.
Third, when $2.1 million was offered to Peter, guess what? He took it and ran. And dropped his custody claims.
Christie is one of the best mothers I know.
As a mother yourself, and someone who has seen worse, I am sure you will appreciate the fact that the blame should go not to the person with the money, but the person digging for it, and using his children as tools to dig with.
James Boyce
Her husband...
And her husband still walks away with a large settlement of money.
The comments on this page attest to the success of Brinley's lawyers strategy: we all "know" the guy's a creep and doesn't deserve custody because he didn't treet Brinkley right, regardless of what his relationsh
There's got to be a better way of ending marriage then this. Perhaps if it were as hard to get married as it is to get divorced we'd deal with it more responsibl
Run more photos.
Of Brinkley.
here's another Peter Cook story for ya...
http://you
Self-rigth
I'm saddened by how hard women can be on other women. And the myth of "hell having no fury like a woman scorned" is beyond ignorant in a world where men routinely stalk, maim and kill women who leave them.
First her words were not harsh to her ex husband. Second lady the reason why she is critical is cause of the KIDS. The KIDS LADY. I dont give a damn how much she thinks she is hurt, do this behind close doors. Then you would not have to worry about people judging you. Far too many women are talking about christie and not about the kids. What the HELL is wrong with you. We get it the husband was wrong but i shouldnt know about it. I dont want to know about their life, but now that i do I think she is trash. You put you r kids first and this is not putting them first or tenth for that matter. geez.
This is absolutely one of the dumbest things I have ever heard and cant possibly come from someone whose parents were divorce. The kids are already crushed their parents are splitting up. How missmary idiot is this good for the kids. The kids dont want to hear this crap. And definitely dont want to hear this from their friends. Women (atleast some) always seem to want kids to choose sides. Why? What happen to keeping your children out the public eye. I really cant stand Ms Brinkley. Some women are so bitter.
So quit whining and exposte this monster.
to her young children. This is worst than her husband's adultery.
She actually asked for a public trial. I hope nobody hires that lawyer
again that is bad advice.
Her children will hate her when they get older. Why would
anyone with simple common sense want this to be public.
Cheating is a dime a dozen.This is no big surprise. I would
have thought that her children would be more important
than getting back at her ex husband. Children are fragile
creatures who needs stable homes . This decision is
not stable.
Good parents try to find good elements in exes even if they
are not there. It is the child's job to find true character later
when they are old enough to handle any situation.
Cook was trying to bully her into joint custody, which would entitle him to child support, a tidy sum for him.
I've tried divorce cases, and the thoughtful
In this case, the kids were used by Cook to try to extort money out of Brinkley. She had to prove that he was unworthy of custody. It had to be done publicly to get him to settle.
No one can judge Brinkley until they walk in her shoes, or her lawyer's shoes.