Supermodel Christie Brinkley at 71: ‘I’ll Always Love Billy’

You wanted to be an artist at the time. Do you ever wonder what you’d have done if you hadn’t been discovered as a model? 

I would probably be an artist or an oceanographer. I have little drawings in my journals that started with letters home, where I would draw and write “This is what my room looks like” or “This is what I’m looking at now in Portugal: a little harbor with fishing nets.” But life hasn’t slowed down long enough [to focus on art], so every time I paint it’s like I’m learning things from scratch again. I do wonder what my artwork would look like today if I had been doing nothing but painting every day.

So many celebrities write about their bouts with addiction. Was it hard for you to stay away from drugs and the party scene in the ’70s and ’80s?

There were a lot of drugs around back in the day. When I was in school, all my friends were dropping acid on the weekends and doing mescaline and peyote, and I asked my parents if I could change schools because I really didn’t want to do that. [Brinkley enrolled in the private school Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles.] I knew that someday I wanted to be a mom, and I did not want to do anything that would make my body unhealthy. That’s not to say that there weren’t times later on in life when I would dabble with this or that, but no, it wasn’t that hard to [avoid getting lost in it], because I had my boundaries.

Brinkley married French illustrator Jean-Francois Allaux in 1975.

Courtesy of Christie Brinkley

You write about how cruel your biological father was. Do you think your relationship with him might have affected later relationships with men?

I don’t know. I think that I blocked what happened so well, and that my mom also didn’t allow it to imprint on me in the way that it might have if we had talked about it all the time. We went on as though it never happened once she met and married my real dad, Don Brinkley, who was the greatest man ever. He was so wonderful.

It’s funny, I keep moving forward. I try to learn, though. Between husband three and four [Taubman and Cook], I didn’t take the time to let the lessons sink in from number three. That was my bad. Fools rush in, and I went rushing in. That was a big mistake.

The "Uptown Girl" became Billy Joel's wife In 1985.

Courtesy of Christie Brinkley; Photo: Patrick Demarchelier/Trunk Archive

The book also includes details about your marriage to Billy Joel. Did you tell him what you planned to share about him in your book?

Billy said, “You can say whatever you need to say. Don’t censor yourself.” And in the book, I talk about how Billy and I were soulmates. We had so much fun together, and it was so wonderful. And I think I convey that, so if I didn’t convey why I had to leave, I don’t think people would ever understand. But that’s a friendship that I cherish. I’ll just always love Billy.

How do you feel about being in your 70s?

I really don’t think about the numbers. I just think about all the adventures I still want to have. I think about getting out into my garden and getting it ready for spring. There are always a million things that I want to do, so I don’t have time to think about aging and all of that. But I did get my hip replaced … You take care of things and keep plowing ahead, right?

What are some things you love in your life right now?

Definitely friends and family. There’s nothing like a long lunch, a nice, long dinner around a table, or just sitting around a fire. In the summertime, I love to have a little firepit outside. I love being outdoors. If I ever feel down about anything, I just go out for a walk on the beach, through the woods or through the garden, and I am instantly elevated. It’s just the best. Nature is right up there on my friends list.

Brinkley with her kids Sailor and Jack in the Hamptons in the early 2000s.

Courtesy of Christie Brinkley

Do you have anyone special in your life now, and would you ever get married again?

I never say never. But there’s nobody special right now. I’m very content in my life. My house is always full of laughter and love and joy. And there’s always a pile of kids coming home, bringing their friends. I’d be happy if I could share some moments with someone — when things are so beautiful that it’s almost too much for me to have it to myself. When I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of a sunset, I want to turn to somebody and go, “Look at that! Isn’t it amazing?” That’s the only time that I miss having somebody next to me.​