Alexa Ray Joel stands by her mom, Christie Brinkley

Christie Brinkley has had a very public life. And she's about to  have a very public - and potentially embarrassing - divorce.

Brinkley is divorcing her fourth husband, Hamptons architect Peter Cook, in a trial that opens today on Long Island

According to AP, it's rare for divorce cases to go to trial and be open to the public. Brinkley, 54, opposed a move by a legal guardian for her children that would have closed the proceedings to the public.

This means that Cook's alleged affair with an 18-year-old employee and other intimate details of their 10-year marriage will be out in the open. And in the press.

"So much has already been in the press about what happened," said Brinkley's Manhattan attorney, Robert Stephan Cohen. "We believe the only way to get at the truth is through an open courtroom. Mr. Cook shouldn't be embarrassed. If he is, it's his own fault."

Brinkley filed for divorce in 2006 after reports surfaced that her husband had an affair with then-teenager Diana Bianchi, who claims Cook seduced her shortly after hiring her to work at his firm. She's expected to be among the first witnesses at the trial.

Brinkley's 22-year-old daughter with singer Billy Joel, Alexa Ray Joel, feels her mother is right to make all the proceedings so open to the public.

"She's standing up for herself. I think that is admirable. There's such overwhelming support for her," she told WENN.

There was a prenup, so money isn't the issue. Custody and property are the issues.

Keep reading to find out who wants what ...

The dispute is over two children and how to divide up some of their belongings, including three boats and some real estate.

Besides Alexa Ray, Brinkley has a 9-year-old daughter, Sailor, with Cook. Her 12-year-old son Jack, from her marriage to Richard Taubman, was adopted by Cook. Her first husband was artist Jean-Francois Allaux.

"He wants custody," said Cook's attorney, Norman Sheresky. "He thinks he's the better parent. Her rage has taken over; she's really mad at him."

Hamptons aficionado/author Stephen Gaines says the 'hood is rooting for her.

"I think most people think she's a righteous, down-to-Earth person and people are rooting for her," Gaines told AP. "There is a general disapproval of Cook's behavior, but this is really not a big brouhaha out here. Maybe because we have so many divorces."

What do you think? Should she air her husband's dirty laundry? Will it hurt her kids in the long run?

Photo: Alexa Ray Joel and her mother, Christie Brinkley, at a charity event earlier this year.
WireImage