Ex-Playboy Model Regains Custody of Twins
April 7, 2005 — -- Bridget Marks drew national media attention last summer as she sobbed, shrieked and cried "I love you" on a Manhattan street while giving up custody of her then-4-year-old twin daughters.
Now that an appeals court has reversed the earlier decision and given her custody of the girls, Marks told ABC News' Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" that she has no regrets about her behavior that day.
"I believe that that was a normal reaction," she said. "What does a mother bear do when her cubs are taken from her? Any other reaction would have been against nature. Anyone who thinks I should have turned over the children with a smile on my face [is] deranged."
Marks, a New York socialite and former Playboy model, and John Aylsworth, a married millionaire casino executive, began an affair in 1998. When Marks became pregnant with the twins, she decided to raise the girls alone.
She was surprised when Aylsworth and his wife began a custody battle for the girls, and when a judge ruled that being with their father would be in the best interests of the children.
Marks said now that she has custody, she expects Aylsworth will get to see the twins regularly.
"He is very much going to be a part of their lives, and I intend to follow any order the court puts in place," Marks said. "This is all very new, and we really have not had much discussion. It's been an extremely happy reunion."
The legal battle over the kids already has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Aylsworth reportedly plans to appeal. Marks said she's ready to respond.
"I'd spend another $700,000," she said. "My younger sister just inherited $40 million, so I'm really not going to worry about legal bills."
In addition, Marks has written a novel, "September," which is coming out in paperback.
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