Erin Barry has gone from local community activist to national headline fodder overnight — but exactly who is the woman allegedly at the heart of the Eva Longoria and Tony Parker divorce saga?
It depends whom you ask – or more specifically, where you look. And judging by the Google Trend index, which had “Tony Parker Erin Barry” as the fourth-most searched term on Thursday afternoon – people are certainly looking.
One online search uncovers a touching editorial about Erin, highlighting her involvement in the San Antonio community as an advocate for abused children.
Another search? Scantily clad photos of the 38-year-old, striking some provocative poses and wearing lacy lingerie – and sometimes, even less — posted on the popular sports blog site BleacherReport.com.
Erin’s connection to Tony and Eva comes via her soon-to-be-ex husband Brent Barry, who played alongside Tony on the San Antonio Spurs from 2004 – 2008.
A popular figure in the San Antonio community, Erin has been a vocal advocate for abused and neglected children, lending her time and effort to the cause over the years, even attending local events with Eva and Tony (as evidenced by a photo of the four of them making the rounds online).
The family even hosts an annual 5K Run/Walk, which benefits Barry’s Blue Ribbon Assist Program, which offers assistance to kids in the Child Protective Services system.
“I like to get my hands dirty … to work hard,” Erin told San Antonio Woman magazine in July 2006. “I like to meet people, and to know who I’m helping.”
Erin was raised in a small town outside San Francisco, where she attended an all-girls Catholic school – she met her husband-to-be Brent in that environment, as he attended the all-boys Catholic school across the street.
The two began dating when Erin was 16. A decade later, the high school sweethearts tied the knot in 1998, started a family (they have two kids) and remained planted in San Antonio, even after Brent’s run with the Spurs ended after the 2008 season.
However, in October of this year, Brent filed for divorce. A few weeks later, news of Eva and Tony’s divorce broke.
While a source close to the situation has told Access Hollywood there was “no sex involved” between Tony and Erin, the source did claim that the NBA star allegedly admitted to sending hundreds of text messages to his old teammate’s wife, adding that the texts stopped over the summer and that the texts had nothing to do with the Barrys’ divorce.
When asked by reporters prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls if he had been involved with “a teammate’s wife,” Tony remained mum.
“That’s my private life,” he responded.
When Access called Erin on Wednesday, a woman who answered the phone was audibly emotional and said she had no comment. She was not reachable for comment on Thursday.
Access was not able to reach Brent for comment.
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