Celebrity News

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook’s divorce trial kicked off on Wednesday with immediate fireworks, including a tearful breakdown by Cook on the witness stand.

In opening statements, the model’s lawyer portrayed her estranged husband, 49, as a chronic philanderer and an abuser of Internet pornography whose habit cost the couple $3,000 a month. Meanwhile, his lawyer described Brinkley, 54, as a woman so consumed with anger that she is turning their children against him.

Brinkley’s lawyer called Cook as the first witness in the case. Under questioning in a Long Island courtroom, Cook testified about the affair he had with his then-teenage assistant, Diana Bianchi, who has been subpoenaed to testify in the case. The affair lasted “less than a year,” he said.

Cook, who has admitted paying Bianchi to keep quiet about the relationship, said in court that he began leaving money for Bianchi shortly after their affair started in 2005. In one instance, the architect left cash under a rock outside his office and another time behind a small painting called “Zeus” inside his office.

Cook also admitted sending an email to Bianchi that was submitted as evidence. “I don’t know – you’ve put me under your spell,” read the email in part. “You’ve never asked me but I left you money … I want to see you again.”

In another email Cook admitted to sending in June 2006, he asked Bianchi to lie to cover up the affair. He was emotional on the stand, at one point breaking down in tears during cross-examination by his attorney.

Later in the day, Bianchi testified that Cook had given her $15,000 for a down payment on a new Nissan Maxima and said they had sex “less than 10 times.” Looking petite in a white ruffled shirt, fitted gray skirt and heels, Bianchi remained composed on the stand but got teary as she left the courtroom.

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Diners at New York City’s ‘Cesca, an Italian eatery on the Upper West Side, got a surprise Tuesday night when Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie walked in, holding hands.

They looked “like a normal couple that just wanted to have a nice dinner out,” says an onlooker. “They looked very unassuming. Not like they were looking for attention.”

Seasoned New Yorkers are quite accustomed to spotting celebrities at the restaurant (and Madonna does have an apartment in the neighborhood). Still, seeing the queen of pop and her director husband together in public is a rare occurrence – and a meaningful one.

“Everyone was whispering and saying, ‘Wow, that was Madonna. She is supposed to be separating from her husband. I can’t believe she is here,’” the observer adds.

But Madonna and Ritchie didn’t flinch. The couple, who’ve been plagued by breakup rumors, continued with their cozy, hour-long dinner before leaving – also hand-in-hand.

“Madonna’s husband Guy arrived in New York last night to be with his wife and family (not in a last-ditch attempt to save his marriage which does not need saving),” the singer’s rep Liz Rosenberg said Tuesday. “There are no plans for Madonna and Guy to divorce.”

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