DNA proves model not Rep. Steve Cohen's daughter: 'I loved her'

A Democratic lawmaker says that he recently learned that a 24-year-old model who he though was his love child was, in fact, not his daughter at all.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) told CBS News that he didn't initially have a paternity test when he started to suspect that Texas swimsuit model Victoria Brink was his daughter because he didn't want to offend her.

"I didn't have children, I was thrilled to have a daughter, and I didn't want in any way at all for her to think that I was questioning the relationship or trying to avoid the relationship," he explained.

Cohen said that he had Googled Brink's mother several years ago and "found out that she had a child, and figured out through that, the math looked pretty accurate."

The lawmaker was forced to come clean about the relationship after he tweeted Brink an abbreviation for "I love you" during last year's State of the Union address.

But this week, CNN revealed that a DNA test showed that Brink was in no way related to Cohen.

"I loved her, I did everything in the world for her, tried to show her what I can of my world," the Tennessee Democrat explained to CBS' Jan Crawford. "But I hope to have a relationship with her, I care about her, she's a sweet young lady."

"And for three and a half years, I had a daughter, and it was nice to care about somebody and to share."

Watch this video from CBS News, broadcast July 19, 2013.