Defending her new man. David Beador’s girlfriend, Lesley Cook, has decided to speak out amid his custody drama with Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador.
“David is an absolutely amazing dad. He takes his daughters to school every morning, well the ones that don’t drive. He takes them to all of their after school activities, drives them to their tournaments, and is always there for them,” Cook exclusively tells Us Weekly. “His daughters are the absolute light in his life, and he loves them so very much. The girls will always come first.”
“I just wanted to speak out on David’s behalf because of all these negative things I have been reading about him being a bad dad,” Cook added. “Please, this man goes above and beyond for his daughters.”
As previously reported, Shannon filed for divorce from David in December after 17 years of marriage. The former couple, who announced their separation in October, share three daughters: Sophie, 16, and 12-year-old twins Stella and Adeline. According to Cook, she started seeing David around three and a half months ago. “We met at a SoulCycle class. We love to work out together,” she explained.
According to the divorce documents obtained by Us Weekly, David is seeking joint custody of the girls and claimed Shannon is “not fostering or encouraging a healthy father-child relationship.”
“Such orders would serve the children’s best interests. While the children (Stella and Adeline) have resided with Shannon, since separation, the children, on several occasions have refused to talk or see me,” he claims in his court documents. “This behavior has been tolerated in Shannon’s home and is not in the best interests of the children. I have requested they spend nights with me however they have expressed concerns for their mother in this event.”
David adds that Shannon’s employment (she joined the cast of RHOC in season 9) “encourages excess drinking and extended travel to which Shannon has chosen not to inform me and make accommodations for the kids to stay with me while she is away.”
The former couple’s marital problems, including David’s affair, have been documented by Bravo cameras since 2014.
Reporting by Jennifer Heger
