David Beador's Girlfriend Speaks Out

David Beador's girlfriend Lesley Cook is not okay with the rumors that he'd cheated on his ex Shannon Beador with her.

During the premiere of The Real Housewives of Orange County's 13th season, which aired on Monday, July 16, 2018, star Tamra Judge told her friend Shannon that David had started a romance with Cook back in October 2017 — around the same time that he and Shannon, who'd been married for 17 years, had announced their separation. And, given the apparent timeline, it'd seem that David may have been unfaithful in his relationship to Shannon towards the end by dating Cook while he and his wife were still together.

But Cook insists that that's not the case. "Tamra lied about us meeting in October," she told Radar Online in an interview published on July 17. "I assume that she did this to create more drama and bring in viewers, but it is 2018 and this type of bullying needs to stop." She added, "Tamra needs to put food on the table somehow, I assume."

Explaining that she and David had met "by chance" towards the end of December — not October — Cook, who's mother to two children, stated, "I didn't go after anyone's husband. I am [a] good mother and a good person and I will not allow these mean girls to make up lies about me."

As Nicki Swift previously reported, Shannon filed for divorce from David, with whom she shares three children, on Dec. 1, 2017. Prior to the filing, Beador had announced their separation in late October, telling People magazine that she alone had wanted to keep their marriage intact. "I felt alone in my marriage. You can do what you can to keep your family together, but you have to have willing parties," she stated. "You need two people to make a marriage work, and that just wasn't happening in our relationship."

But Shannon's one-sided effort to save their marriage wasn't the only factor that went into their decision to split. David's infidelity also likely played a part in their breakup, as he'd told Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen that he thought he'd fallen in love with his former mistress, a woman named Nicole McMackin, during the course of their marriage.

Shannon had previously considered McMackin to be a friend. In a Bravo TV blog post, Shannon noted how she and McMackin had once gotten close only for her to ultimately be betrayed. "I thought I was gaining a friend, but she was basically acting, only interested in gathering information for the benefit of her affair with my husband," she said.

In February 2018, David was reported to have moved on with Cook,

Regardless of the exact time David and Cook started their relationship, it's clear that Cook and Shannon will never get along again.

*This post was updated because it had erroneously mentioned Lesley Cook as David Beador's former mistress. We regret the error.