Peter Cook and new girlfriend Suzanne Shaw seemed relaxed Saturday morning at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor.
Cook in his own modeling days, with Carol Alt. Asked what he was looking for in his next relationship, he replied, 'A brunette.'
Peter Cook, his reputation in tatters but his mood considerably brighter, looks back on his doomed marriage to supermodel Christie Brinkley without regret.
"I will never regret marrying her," he told the Daily News Saturday over breakfast. "We had great times for 10 years. I've got two beautiful children."
Cook said his divorce settlement with Brinkley, after a week where he was publicly exposed as a sex-obsessed, two-timing narcissist, ended a dark chapter in his life - one he doesn't intend to revisit.
"My only option is to be healthy, happy and prosperous," he said. "If I'm not, how's that good for the kids?"
And he believes most people will forgive him the sins detailed over eight days of lurid testimony.
"Intelligent people understand that we are all imperfect, that we all have flaws," said Cook, dressed casually for an alfresco meal at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor.
"Short of Mother Teresa, the Pope and Gandhi, no one really wants every dark corner of their life exposed to the world, and certainly not to their children."
Cook, 49, wore a Rolex on one wrist and a black bracelet - with the inscription "I am what I am" - on the other. In T-shirt, white jeans and flip-flops, he was relaxed and jovial, sitting with current girlfriend Suzanne Shaw.
His new love offered plenty of kinds words and a kiss for Cook as he spoke publicly for the first time since the trial ended last week.
Cook took a public relations pummeling during the often-salacious testimony. He wept on the stand while confessing his sexual shenanigans, which included spending $3,000 a month on Internet pornography and masturbating live for a cyberaudience via Web Cam.
He also confessed paying $300,000 in hush money to an 18-year-old girl after their sordid affair - which included sexual liaisons in two homes owned by Brinkley.
Even a court-appointed psychiatrist - one of the few witnesses with no ax to bury in Cook's back - labeled him a narcissist who chose his sexual compulsions over his family.
But he was able to joke about the headline-making trial, which ended with a settlement perceived by many as a victory for Brinkley.
Asked what he was looking for in his next relationship, he replied, "A brunette."
And asked what he'd learned from the whole experience, the architect said with a laugh, "You call your lawyer before you tell your wife anything."
He and Brinkley were raising two children - Jack, Brinkley's son from a previous marriage, and 10-year-old Sailor Lee, their daughter.
Under the deal, Cook will reportedly maintain his visitation rights with the children.
Cook said the public flogging, his adultery and the fallout haven't soured him on marriage. He remains a romantic, and would consider another walk down the aisle.
"Sure," he said. "And I'm going to use [Christie's] prenup."
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