Everyone loves a great romance, but who doesn’t relish a knock-down, drag-out divorce, too? Oh, don’t look at us like we’re so horrible. Hamptonite supermodel Christie Brinkley’s divorce from “architect” Peter Cook goes to trial next week, and she’s requested that the proceedings be open to the public. Why do you suppose that is? Because she wants us all to know that Peter cheated on her with his 18-year-old assistant, Diana Bianchi, and allegedly did some other pervy things that will (a) embarrass the hell out of him and (b) titillate and delight the public. You see, she’s doing it for us! Even pretty Christie knows we want to hear about the ugly!
Yes, love can be grand, but add wealth and status to the equation and you’ve got a nuclear love bomb waiting to blow off some tabloid editor’s happy face. While the saga of Christie and Peter will no doubt provide some entertainment for a lazy summer on the East End, they have a lot to live up to — like the Perelmans, the Giulianis, and the Trumps. We’ve tenderly flipped through our scrapbooks to remember New York’s most fantastic divorces, and arranged them in ascending order of awfulness. Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? Just watch out for the land mines. —Jessica Coen
Slideshow: New York’s Ten Greatest Divorces
