When the news first broke in 2006, it felt like the Hamptons had actually tilted on its axis.
Christie Brinkley, the "Uptown Girl" herself, was the victim of a scandal so cliché it almost felt scripted. Her husband, architect Peter Cook, had been caught in an affair with his 18-year-old assistant, Diana Bianchi. It was the kind of tabloid fodder that fueled The New York Post and The Daily News for years.
Honestly, if you look back at the 2008 divorce proceedings, it wasn't just a breakup. It was a demolition. People remember the $3,000-a-month porn habit and the $300,000 payoff to the mistress. But there’s more to Peter Cook than just being a punchline in a supermodel’s memoir.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about his "preference" for much younger women. But what really happened behind those 18 Hamptons properties Brinkley ended up keeping?
The Architect and the Model: A Marriage Built on Glass
Peter Cook wasn't just some guy Christie met at a party. He was a prominent Hamptons architect, a man whose career was built on structure and aesthetic perfection. When they married in 1996, it looked like Brinkley had finally found her match.
They had a daughter, Sailor Brinkley-Cook, and Peter adopted Christie’s son, Jack. For a decade, they were the golden couple of the East End. Then the graduation speech happened.
In 2006, while Brinkley was preparing to give a commencement address at a local high school, she was approached by a man she didn't know. His message was blunt: "That arrogant husband of yours has been having an affair with my teenage daughter."
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That moment is a centerpiece in Brinkley's 2025 memoir, Uptown Girl. She describes freezing in place while Cook, sitting in the audience, tried to shake his head "no" from across the room. Basically, the marriage ended right then and there.
The Trial That Exposed Everything
The subsequent divorce trial in 2008 was a spectacle. It wasn't just about the affair with Bianchi. The court-appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Herman, didn't hold back, famously describing Cook as a "narcissist" with a "bottomless ego."
Here are the facts that came out during that brutal stretch:
- Cook admitted to spending thousands on internet porn to "get the mood going."
- He had reportedly paid Diana Bianchi $300,000 to keep quiet about their year-long affair.
- Alexa Ray Joel, Christie’s daughter with Billy Joel, testified that Cook once shoved her head into a bucket of water.
- Another woman, Samantha Cole, claimed Cook proposed to her when she was 19—just months before he got engaged to Brinkley.
The settlement was lopsided, to say the least. Brinkley walked away with 18 properties. Cook got a $2.1 million payout and parenting time.
Peter Cook’s Life After the Brinkley Storm
If you thought the Brinkley disaster would make Cook shy away from the spotlight—or from younger women—you’d be wrong.
He married Suzanne Shaw shortly after the divorce. Christie actually warned Shaw publicly about what she was getting into. Shaw didn't listen at first, but after they divorced in 2014, she actually wrote a public apology to Brinkley. She admitted she should have listened.
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Fast forward to 2019, and Cook was back in the news for getting engaged to Alba Jancou, a 21-year-old college student.
The age gap was massive—nearly 40 years. Critics were everywhere. But in 2023, the couple had a luxury wedding in Capri, Italy, with only six guests. As of 2026, Cook and Jancou are still together, living in the Hamptons where she works as a real estate agent.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often conflate Peter Cook the "celebrity ex" with Peter Cook the architect. Interestingly, there is another Peter Cook—Sir Peter Cook—who is a legendary British architect knighted by the Queen.
Christie’s ex is not that Peter Cook.
The Hamptons-based Peter Cook is a regional architect whose career was significantly overshadowed by his personal life. While he has maintained his practice, his professional legacy is inextricably linked to the "Lady and the Louse" headlines of the mid-2000s.
The Reality of the "Uptown Girl" Legacy
Christie Brinkley recently turned 71, and she’s been more vocal than ever about the "tortured" nature of her relationship with Cook. She’s described a "labyrinth" of incriminating files found on the family computer—photos and accounts that made her realize she was living a lie.
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It’s easy to paint Peter Cook as a simple villain. However, the dynamics of their divorce show a man who struggled with a deep-seated need for validation, often seeking it from women significantly younger than himself.
Wait. Is he still a villain in the public eye? Mostly, yeah. But he’s also a father who has remained close with Sailor, supporting her through her own career milestones like Dancing with the Stars.
Actionable Takeaways from the Brinkley-Cook Saga
Looking at this mess from a distance, there are some pretty clear lessons for anyone navigating high-stakes relationships or public breakups:
- Prenups aren't bulletproof. Brinkley had a prenup, yet she still spent six years and millions in legal fees fighting for her kids and her assets. A prenup is a tool, not a shield.
- Trust your gut on "red flags." The revelation from Samantha Cole suggests that Cook's patterns were there before the marriage even started.
- Public apologies matter. Suzanne Shaw’s apology to Christie Brinkley years later shows that the truth usually comes out, even if it takes a second marriage to confirm it.
- Privacy is a luxury. The reason this divorce was so damaging was the "salacious testimony" made public. If you can settle behind closed doors, do it.
The story of Peter Cook is a reminder that even in the most "perfect" architectural structures, the foundation can be riddled with cracks. Whether he's found "soulmate" status with Alba Jancou remains to be seen, but the shadow of 2006 will likely follow him forever.
If you’re following Christie Brinkley’s journey, her memoir Uptown Girl provides the most detailed account of how she rebuilt her life after the fallout. For Peter Cook, his path has been one of leaning into his controversial reputation rather than running from it.
Next Steps for Readers
To get the full picture of the legal battle, look into the 2008 court transcripts which detail the property distribution and custody arrangements. If you’re interested in the architectural side of the Hamptons, you can find Cook’s professional portfolio through local New York real estate registries, which offer a different perspective on his life’s work away from the tabloid cameras.