Christie Brinkley Reveals Shocking Discovery of Husband's Affair During 2006 Commencement Speech -

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Memoir Uptown Girl, supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley, shares the emotional moment she discovered her then-husband, architect Peter Cook, was having an affair with an 18-year-old girl during a high-profile public appearance in 2006.

Brinkley, now 71, recounts the deeply traumatic revelation while she was delivering the commencement address at Southampton High School in June of that year. She describes the moment as one of the most devastating of her life, calling her relationship with Cook “the most tortured relationship” she ever endured.

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As she stepped aside after delivering her remarks, Brinkley was approached backstage by a man who delivered stunning news. “I need to tell you that that arrogant husband of yours has been having an affair with my teenage daughter, and he won’t knock it off,” the man reportedly told her.

Frozen in shock, Brinkley immediately scanned the audience and locked eyes with Cook, who sat in the front row with their son, Jack. She writes that Cook was already looking at her, shaking his head and silently mouthing the word “no,” a sign she took as confirmation of his guilt.

“I was so stunned that I froze,” Brinkley writes. “I knew from Peter’s face that he was guilty, and in that moment, I thought I was going to pass out onstage, in front of hundreds of people.”

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Trying to avoid an emotional collapse in public, she bent down to pretend she was tying her shoes, hoping to gather herself before facing the audience again.

Brinkley later learned the full extent of Cook’s betrayal and the affair, which became a major tabloid story at the time. The couple, who married in 1996, finalized their divorce in 2008 after a highly publicized court battle.

The memoir offers a raw and candid look into Brinkley’s personal life, offering readers a deeper understanding of her struggles behind the glamour. Uptown Girl marks the first time Brinkley has gone into detail about the incident and its immediate impact on her.