Before she was ever married or had children, singer Fantasia Barrino had a scandalous romance with Antwaun Cook, which almost landed her in a messy lawsuit.
“American Idol” star Fantasia Barrino might be a family woman now, with two kids and a husband, but her life was not always the perfect fairy tale. Before her marriage, the singer almost landed herself an adultery lawsuit, which almost ruined her chance at a blissful life.
These days, Fantasia Barrino spends her time doting on her husband and kids while growing her career. However, accounts of her controversial romance with Antwaun Cook and the resulting homewrecker lawsuit serve as a reminder of her tumultuous past.
THE HOMEWRECKER LAWSUIT
One of the most trying times in Fantasia’s life came with her relationship with Mobile salesman, Antwaun Cook. They began dating in 2010. Although their romance yielded Fantasia Barrino’s son, Dallas Xavier Barrino, it had its ups and downs.
After dating the T-Mobile employee for a year, his ex-wife, Paula Cook, filed a lawsuit against the songstress, accusing her of adultery. The suit alleged that Fantasia’s romance with Antwaun Cook began while he was still married to Paula. It also labeled the singer as a homewrecker, bringing to light North Carolina’s alienation of affection laws.
However, Fantasia maintained that she was no homewrecker, as her romance with Cook commenced only after he separated from Paula. The court eventually ruled in Fantasia Barrino’s favor as evidence suggested Cook and his ex-wife split in September 2009, contrary to Paula’s initial claims of June 2010.
FANTASIA GOES CANDID ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH COOK
Fantasia Barrino’s lawsuit left her at crossroads, putting her in a terrible state. When the news first broke that she was in a relationship with a married man and facing a lawsuit worth millions; as a result, the star denied being aware of Cook’s marriage.
However, Essence reported in 2010 that the singer retracted her previous statements during the court hearing. She admitted to knowing about the T- Mobile employee’s marriage when they first hooked up in summer 2009. The icon also opened up about undergoing an abortion to terminate her first pregnancy for him. According to her shocking court revelation, she aborted the pregnancy to avoid the complications of carrying a married man’s baby.
FANTASIA BARRINO’S SUICIDE ATTEMPT
Amid the turmoil of the lawsuit proceedings, Fantasia experienced her moment of weakness and cracked. She attempted to take her life in August 2010 by overdosing on sleeping pills and aspirin.
Luckily, her manager found her unconscious in the closet of her North Carolina home and called 911. They rushed her to a hospital, where she recovered after undergoing evacuation and treatment.
Many speculated that the pressure of the adultery scandal finally took a toll on the songstress, prompting her suicide attempt. These speculations arose because the attempt came just hours after news of the homewrecker lawsuit went public.
Days after attempting suicide, Fantasia disclosed in an interview that her actions resulted from having no fighting spirit left. According to the star, she was tired of dealing with family crises, her father, and “men” problems, and “wanted it to be over with.”
However, Fantasia Barrino denied claims that the scandal resulting from her affair with Barrino led her to contemplate suicide.
EMBRACING THE HEALING PROCESS
Cook and Fantasia continued their relationship after the homewrecker scandal and went on to have another child, their son Xavier. They eventually split and moved on to other partners.
In a 2013 interview, the “American Idol” star explained how their separation was a welcome development. It availed her the opportunity to learn to love herself, and the development started her on the healing process. She divulged:
“I always feel like I lost all of those things for God to put the right things in my life. And I feel like I’m winning again.”
True to her words, the star embraced a new life following their breakup. She married businessman Kendall Taylor in 2015 and started a family with him while maintaining a good co-parenting relationship with Cook.
Fantasia and Taylor continue to live in marital bliss to date, with Taylor embracing the 36-year-old’s children, Zion and Xavier, as his own.