The woman at the centre of Halle Berry's marriage meltdown has spoken out for the first time about her affair with Eric Benet, insisting the stars' union was doomed from day one.

Singer JULIA RILEY and nu-soul star Benet were caught out for enjoying a tryst in March 2002. And while the affair cooled Berry and Benet's marriage, Riley is certain things between them would have come to an end anyway.

She tells American tabloid the NATIONAL ENQUIRER, "Eric was lying to Halle from day one. He was telling her he wasn't talking to or seeing other women. She saw him as a sensitive man who was devoted to her - yet Eric wasn't to be trusted.

"Eric told me Halle was very jealous and insecure and always reminded him that her first husband DAVID JUSTICE cheated on her and she wouldn't tolerate that happening again."

Riley, 35, met Benet when she was 19, and they eventually embarked on a full romance in 1995. But their relationship ended two years later and in 2000, she married another man.

The two remained close - even after the GEORGY PORGY hitmaker met Berry - and Riley admits Benet frequently wired her money to help her through financial hardships, even sending her cash 30 minutes before leaving for his wedding with Berry in January 2001.

Riley continues, "I asked him how the wedding had gone. He said they honeymooned in the Himalayas and the romance cooled quickly. He said, 'I'm over it already.'

"Eric later told me that Halle was not what he expected. He said she started out sweet and sexy, but it wasn't long before she was moody and cold - and sex became infrequent."

Once Riley's marriage ended in 2001, she found herself drawn to Benet once more, eventually having oral sex with him in March 2002 - as Berry prepared for the Academy Awards.

She admits, "He complained that he hadn't had sex with Halle in over a month. He said she just wasn't a very passionate person. Her sexy, sweet image when she met Eric was all an act. After the marriage, she was cold to him.

"I understand that Halle had a busy schedule and was gone a lot. When they were together, she was tired, stressed and their sex life suffered - but at some point you have to take care of your husband."

06/08/2004 03:05