Oct 10, 2008 9:46 am US/Eastern
Brinkley To Ex: Shield Kids From 20/20 Interview
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (CBS) ―
Supermodel Christie Brinkley wants her ex-husband to keep their kids away from the television Friday night when his interview with Barbara Walters airs on ABC.
Brinkley lawyer Robert Stephan Cohen says in a statement that Peter Cook must keep the couple's two children away from the 20/20 broadcast while he has custody of them this weekend.
Cohen filed papers Wednesday in Suffolk County seeking a temporary restraining order and a post-judgment order.
In the interview with Walters, Cook explains his affair with a teenager and his Internet porn proclivities, saying he was seeking a connection he couldn't find in his marriage.
In a broadcast interview he said, "I was seeking a connection I could not find in my own marriage. "I wanted a little acknowledgement, a little attention, a little thank-you every now and then for my efforts."
Woodbury, Long Island resident Betty Ganz is not impressed. "I think that's a very lame excuse. If he wasn't happy at home he should've discussed it with his wife and gone for counseling." Her husband Mel Ganz added, "I'm not going to disagree with her, then I'll need counseling."
"That's the 99 percent answer, I did it because I didn't receive what I wanted to get at home, no reciprocation, that's standard. There's always going to be cheating. If there's no communication the marriage is destined to fail," said Harlem Resident R.T. Finch.
Psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Susan Bartell agrees. "When people have relationships and then they cheat on their partner and they use an excuse like that, it's really inexcusable. It's not a real reason
to cheat on somebody."
Bartell said Cook should be trying to heal the family by taking responsibility for cheating. She said the most destructive part of this blame game is how it affects the couple's two young children. "Parents need to act in all times in their children's best interest, and he's not doing that, he's acting in his own best interest."
"I can't imagine that she's the type of person who wasn't showing any affection at all. That's a conversation you have. You don't cheat because she's not showing enough affection," said Brian Sanders, Washington Heights resident.
In the divorce, Christie Brinkley won custody of their two children and agreed to pay Peter Cook more than $2 million, but Brinkley's lawyer says Cook has breached the confidentiality agreement so everything's now up in the air.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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