Attorney: 'Barrino affair caused distress'

Fantasia Barrino's alleged affair with a married man has left his estranged wife distraught, her attorney claims.

Divorce lawyer Tamela Wallace stated to People that Paula Cook was "saddened and disheartened by the end of her marriage" to husband Antwaun after he supposedly embarked on a "covert adulterous" relationship with the American Idol winner.

Wallace added: "She's embarrassed, and humiliated and distressed by the lack of respect that was shown for her marriage by Ms Barrino.

"She wanted nothing more than to have a happy family with her husband and her children. And she's not been able to do that."

Wallace also commented on the recent release of candid photographs showing Barrino and Mr Cook apparently being filmed together for the star's reality show Fantasia For Real.

"It's that kind of brazen behaviour that Mrs Cook has had to endure for the last 11 months, until June of this year," she said. "This is something that has caused her emotional distress, pain, anguish."

Wallace continued to emphasise that her client was "just the quintessential soccer mum" and dismissed claims that she went public with the alleged affair in order to gain celebrity status.

"The only mistake she made was marrying a man who Ms Barrino felt like she was entitled to have. She is having to defend her marriage, when she didn't ask for this."

Barrino was hospitalised earlier this week after overdosing on an unknown medication, but has since been released.