Christie Brinkley has revealed a surprising detail about the early days of her romance with music legend Billy Joel – and it involves none other than Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson.
Speaking to Stellar Magazine this week, Christie recalled how Joel was casually still dating the statuesque Australian when she first met the Piano Man.
‘We were at his apartment and he said, “I’m going to call Elle because I’ve been out with her a couple of times and I want to let her know that now I want to be exclusive with you”,’ Brinkley recounted.
The stunning revelation offers a glimpse into the rock-and-roll love triangle that once quietly played out between two of the world’s most recognisable models and one of America’s most celebrated singers.
In her memoir, Brinkley doesn’t hold back, revealing a life filled with both dazzling success and private pain – from surviving a horrific helicopter crash to enduring domestic abuse and heartbreak from her high-profile marriages.
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Christie Brinkley has revealed a surprising detail about the early days of her romance with music legend Billy Joel – and it involves none other than Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson. Pictured together in 1983
Speaking to Stellar Magazine this week, Christie recalled how Joel was casually still seeing the statuesque Australian when she first met the Piano Man. (Macpherson pictured in 1985)
But it’s her relationship with Joel – and the genuine bond they continue to share – that remains a highlight.
The pair married in 1985 and welcomed daughter Alexa Ray Joel the same year, eventually divorcing in 1994. Despite the split, they’ve remained close friends.
Brinkley also revealed that the family is supporting Joel as he battles a rare brain disorder.
‘Alexa just had a long conversation with him and she said he sounded good. We’re all just cheering him on,’ she said.
Brinkley also touched on how the industry has changed since her modelling heyday, recalling the ‘magic’ of film photography and lamenting the overly curated, digital-driven world of today’s image-making.
‘Now there are so many cooks in the kitchen, you don’t have that same kind of magic,’ she explained.
And when it comes to ageing, the model has no time for outdated stereotypes. While she embraces modern beauty options, she believes true vitality comes from within.
‘Energy and curiosity are more useful than any cream you can buy in a jar,’ she said.
‘We were at his apartment and he said, “I’m going to call Elle because I’ve been out with her a couple of times and I want to let her know that now I want to be exclusive with you”,’ Brinkley recounted
Reflecting on their time together, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alum, who has been married four times, she previously said their marriage was ‘really wonderful,’ per Page Six.
She called the Piano Man her ‘soulmate’ but said that they started having marriage problems when he would disappear for days while he was on a bender.
‘If there wasn’t that issue,’ she said about his addiction. ‘I do think that we were probably really soulmates. It was an amazing time of my life.’
She continued: ‘I had so much fun. We were such nomads, gypsies — just between his job and mine, we were seeing the world. It was wonderful, really wonderful.’
Brinkley claimed that once he left their daughter Alexa Ray’s fifth birthday party and was missing for two days.
She said she had ‘visions of his car wrapped around a tree’ and she experienced a ‘panic I couldn’t shake.’
She also recalled how he once vanished during Thanksgiving dinner and another time she saw photos of him out with an Australian actress after a separate disappearance.
