Cook calls cheating on Brinkley 'mistake'

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Architect Peter Cook says he made the "mistake" of cheating on his then-wife, U.S. model Christie Brinkley, due to problems in their marriage.

Cook, who is now divorced from Brinkley, said he began having an affair with another woman because he was unable to find a "connection" with Brinkley, People magazine reported Saturday.

"I was a great father, a great husband, and I failed as a human being … . I made a mistake," Cook said in a "20/20" interview.

"I was seeking a connection I could not find in my own marriage. I took the cowardice way out and had an affair instead of approaching my wife and saying, 'Ya know what? I'm not happy.'"

Following the recent interview, an attorney for Brinkley accused Cook of breaking a confidentiality agreement agreed upon during the couple's divorce proceedings," People said.

"Mr. Cook has chosen to breach the confidentiality agreement in the divorce settlement, a provision agreed upon in court to protect the children and allow them to put this ordeal behind them," attorney Robert Stephan Cohen said in a statement. "This is a tragedy. Ms. Brinkley plans to explore her legal options."