Brooke Hundley on "Good Morning America": Fear Made Her Stay with Steve Phillips

Brooke Hundley, the three-encounters mistress of ex-ESPN sports analysts Steve Phillips, appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday and broke her silence on the alleged affair. Brooke Hundley said that her fear of losing her job at ESPN was comparable to that of Steve Phillips' wife, Marni, who had called 911 on her when she delivered a four-page letter describing her and Phillips' sexcapades. She said that the fear had caused her to stay in the relationship with Steve Phillips.

She added that the 911 call was a way for Marni Phillips to "get attention." Yet, Brooke Hundley did not explain how fear drove her to allegedly threaten Marni Phillips and tell her that only one of the two women could have the analyst.

When news of the affair broke, ESPN terminated both Brooke Hundley and Steve Phillips. Phillips went into a treatment facility for sex addiction. Brooke Hundley told "Good Morning America" that she spiraled into depression.

"I was in a situation," she told ABC's Kate Snow, "where I felt like if I didn't do what was asked of me then everything I had worked for, for the past six years, everything I had done to establish myself as a successful media professional, could be gone like that."

Brooke Hundley said that she understood the public scrutiny, but found it difficult to cope with the mean-spiritedness of much of the media coverage. "When Jay Leno was using my looks in his monologue to get a cheap laugh .... that was my breaking point."

She tearfully told "Good Morning America" that a friend had stayed with her awhile because they were afraid that she "mentally I would not be able to take much more."

Many have wondered about what Brooke Hundley "mentally" thought while she allegedly cyber-stalking Steve Phillips and his wife via their teen son, posing as a classmate to gain personal information. Some wondered what was going on with Brooke Hundley "mentally" when she decided to hand deliver a an expository letter to Marni Phillips (hence the aforementioned 911 call). And some wondered what she was "mentally" capable of after hearing about the phone calls and text messages she sent Marni Phillips. In fact, many in the media had gone to labeling Brooke Hundley a Glenn Close to Marnie Phillips' Anne Archer ("Fatal Attraction").

But Hundley said that all that occurred was "unintentional," sidestepping the issue that she was the cause of most of Marni Phillips' fears...

In the David Letterman sex scandal, one that was uncovered through the talk show host "confessing" during his show to having sex with various staff members through the years, the defense of the alleged extortionist was revealed as totally intentional. Robert Joel "Joe" Halderman, an employee of CBS "48 Hours," claimed that the alleged $2 million transaction was a commercial transaction and nothing more. Halderman's attorney asked for a dismissal. David Letterman's lawyer told the judge that Letterman was ready to see the case go to trial and would testify if necessary.

EW.com has reported that David Letterman's lawyers have until December 15 to file a formal answer to Halderman's move to dismiss.

No criminal complaints were lodged in the Steve Phillips / Brooke Hundley scandal, although Hundley did file for a restraining order against Steve Phillips the day after Marni Phillips called 911 on her.

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Sources:

"Good Morning America," ABC Television
EW.com