Criss Angel has dropped the illusions and cut to the chase.
The Mindfreak star released a statement Sunday, denying, among other things, his estranged wife Joanne Sarantakos' claim that his brief relationship with Cameron Diaz contributed to the breakdown of their union.
Angel said he felt the need to "dignify and refute the inaccuracies, blatant lies and misrepresentations" circulated last week by his wife and her attorney, Dominic Barbara, including their contention that he carried on an affair with Diaz during his marriage.
The illusionist said he met the Shrek star in May, one year after Sarantakos filed for divorce, and that they went on four or five dates, but were no longer seeing each other.
"Cameron is a good friend and an amazing person and to defame her and myself and paint her as the reason for my marriage's demise is factually inaccurate, ridiculous and just plain wrong," he said.
Last week, Barbara said he planned to subpoena Diaz when she returned to New York and have her testify to the nature of her relationship with Angel.
"We're naming Cameron Diaz as his lover," the lawyer said at a hearing in Nassau County Court.
The actress was evidently less than pleased at having her name dragged into the divorce battle and quickly released a statement through her publicist clarifying that she had done nothing wrong.
"These are meaningless, attention-seeking attempts to unfairly and unnecessarily exploit Cameron's celebrity by trying to involve her in matters she has nothing to do with," her rep said last week.
Angel said the attempt by his ex and her lawyer to associate Diaz with the divorce proceedings was "a sign of their desperation."
"It seems clear, and very unfortunate to me that Joanne and her attorney both hope that these false statements will provide my estranged wife, who has also been dating during this time, the financial windfall she is obviously seeking," he said.
Angel also denied Sarantakos' contention that he forced her to keep their marriage a secret, so as not to turn off his female fans.
"Her claim that she was my 'secret' wife is preposterous and inaccurate," he said. "Our marriage was well known to my friends and all of my fans worldwide."
The illusionist further took issue with Sarantakos' claim that he emotionally abandoned her and ceased to provide for her financially once his TV show took off on A&E.
"She has had unlimited access to credit cards that I pay for. I have paid for her cell phone, her car, her gas, her car insurance, her health insurance, trips she has taken--even the smallest thing like her cat food," he said. "Essentially, I have paid for her every expense. I have also paid for her housing the entire time."
He accused Sarantakos of trying to portray him as "some sort of monster" in a bid to squeeze more money out of him.
"I am very confident when all of the facts are presented in court that Joanne's true motive will be revealed for what it is," he said.