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Fantasia overdosed after reading affair allegations, manager says

By Alan Duke, CNN
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Manager says Fantasia overdosed on meds
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Fantasia's manager says she fell in love based on man's lies
  • The singer overdosed on aspirin and a sleep aid, her manager says
  • Brian Dickens: She was "overwhelmed" by the lawsuit and media attention

(CNN) -- Fantasia Barrino overdosed on "aspirin and a sleep aid" and was rushed to a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital Monday night, her manager said.

The overdose came the same day she read a court complaint from a woman who alleged that Barrino carried on a year-long affair with her husband, according to manager Brian Dickens.

"Her injuries are not life threatening," Dickens said. "She was dehydrated and exhausted at the time." She was expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, he said.

WBTV: Fantasia Barrino 911 call

Barrino publicly acknowledged the affair in a statement Tuesday issued by Dickens that said "Fantasia fell in love with Mr. Cook and believed that he loved her."

"Fantasia is heartbroken and is sorry for any pain she may have caused," Dickens said in a written statement to CNN. "Yesterday, she was totally overwhelmed by the lawsuit and the media attention."

The former "American Idol" winner was hospitalized overnight but was expected to go home Tuesday, Dickens said.

The police report obtained by CNN said Dickens called 911 to report the overdose at the singer's home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In a child custody case filed last week, Paula Cook charged that Barrino and her husband, Antwaun Cook, became romantically involved last August.

The singer fell in love with Cook based on lies he told her, Dickens said.

WCNC: Fantasia was 'overwhelmed'

"Fantasia believed Mr. Cook when he told her he was not happy in his marriage and his heart was not in it," Dickens said. "She believed him when he told her he and Mrs. Cook separated in the late summer of 2009. She believed Mr. Cook when he told her he lived elsewhere."

Cook even took her to a residence where he claimed he lived apart from his wife, Dickens said.

Photos of Barrino and Cook were published online in recent months, prompting questions about their relationship.

"Fantasia gave inconsistent interviews about the status of her relationship with Mr. Cook because sometimes they were on and sometimes they were off," Dickens said. "When they were on, they spent most of their time together when she was not traveling with work."

She read Paula Cook's child custody complaint for the first time Monday, Dickens said.

"She knows some of the allegations in Mrs. Cook's complaint are totally false," he said. "There are others she strongly doubts. There is plenty she does not know."

The petition, which said the couple separated in June, described a phone conversation in July in which Barrino allegedly told the wife: "He don't want you. ... Maybe the next time that you get a husband, you'll know how to keep him. ... That's why he is here with me."

While Barrino is not directly involved in the current legal case, North Carolina is one of only a few states that allow a spouse to sue a third party who interferes with a marriage for alienation of affection.

The High Point, North Carolina, native has enjoyed a successful recording and acting career since winning "American Idol's" third season.

Her second album, which has received favorable reviews, will be released on August 24, while the second season of her reality show debuts next month.

CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report