After an initial flurry of reports following Billy Joel and Katie Lee’s separation announcement, they’ve been keeping their drama pretty much out of the papers. Until now, that it. Page Six is reporting that Billy Joel is desperate to get back with Katie, and that he’s “obsessed with her”. Meanwhile, Katie seems to be living it up. She’s been going out a lot, planning a trip to Paris, and chatting/flirting with that E! cutie, Ben Lyons. I’d imagine Ben would look great to any girl, but especially a girl who’s been with Billy Joel for five years. Unknown is whether Katie is actually getting it on with that hot Israeli fashion designer/gigolo Yigal Azrouel:
BILLY Joel should have tried to “Get It Right the First Time” with soon-to-be ex-wife Katie Lee Joel. Sources say the aging pop star, who is legally separated from Katie Lee, is completely distraught over the June breakup and wants to get his woman back.
According to friends of the couple, “Billy is obsessed with her” and is trying to rekindle the relationship. The two split because Katie Lee — a TV food critic and chef — wanted to have kids and a family, and Joel did not. Adding to the tension were Katie Lee’s many nights out with designer Yigal Azrouel.
“Billy never wanted to go out with her. She wanted to have fun and promote herself, so she started hanging out with Yigal,” a source told us. Insiders say that Joel now believes Azrouel and Katie Lee were never more than friends and he’s doing everything he can to win her back. But a friend of Katie Lee told us, “They’re not getting back together. She is trying to move on.”
And it looks like she’s doing just that. A spy who saw Katie Lee at the Metropolitan Club Thursday night during the Moet party for Meryl Streep’s new movie, “Julie & Julia,” said she was “talking about visiting Paris, and mentioned going there on her own to study cooking.”
The following morning, Katie Lee was spotted at Norma’s in the Parker-Meridien hotel “chatting up and flirting with [E! correspondent] Ben Lyons.”
Joel, however, is not enjoying the same carefree life. He recently postponed two concerts with Elton John upstate because of “flu-like symptoms.”
Last month, Page Six reported that Joel was dating former soap star Alex Donnelley, but it seems that romance has fizzled.
A rep for Katie Lee had no comment. Joel’s spokeswoman told us, “The split between them is amicable. They remain friendly, and they do communicate.”
[From Page Six]
This is sort of a sketchy report. I tend to think that part of it could be true, but Billy might not want to reconcile with Katie for reasons involving love. I’d be willing to bet Katie signed a pre-nup, but Billy probably isn’t interested in parting with any kind of limited assets. And hey, he might still love her. I’m just thinking that Billy’s mindset might be along the lines of “A bird in the hand…” A few weeks ago, there were confirmed reports that Billy was seeing a soap star named Alex Donnelley, and unconfirmed reports that Billy and ex-wife Christie Brinkley were getting closer again. I tend to think that Billy and Katie should just call it a day… but if they do get back together, my guess is that it will be about money and babies.
Just a side note: I’m so proud that I didn’t make any reference to Billy Joel as “William Joel”, to use Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goopspeak. It was killing me. I wanted to call him William Joel this whole time.
Here’s Katie Lee attending the ‘Julie & Julia’ premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on Thursday. Images thanks to WENN.com . Header from February 2008. Image thanks to Fame Pictures .
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