Brinkley divorce trial told: My life vanished

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY says the day she learned her husband was having an affair with a teenager was the day “my life as I knew it had vanished”.

The former Sport Illustrated model cried as she took the stand at her Long Island divorce trial yesterday. A day earlier, the court heard testimony from Brinkley’s architect husband, Peter Cook, 49, and his former mistress.

The model recalled how the girl’s stepfather, who is a policeman, told her of the affair at a 2006 Southampton High School graduation where Brinkley was a speaker.

He told Brinkley: “That husband of yours won’t knock it off. He’s having an affair with my teenage daughter.”

She also testified that Cook visited pornographic sites in hopes of meeting people.

The trial centres on custody of the couple’s two children.

The 54-year-old model opposed a move by a legal guardian for her children that would have closed the proceedings to the public.

Brinkley filed for divorce from Cook in 2006 after reports surfaced that he had an affair with 18-year-old Diana Bianchi. Bianchi is expected to be among the witnesses.