Christie Brinkley on Marriage and Relationships

Christie Brinkley recently opened up about her views on marriage during an appearance on the podcast “Are You Charlotte?” with host Christine Davis. The discussion touched on whether marriage is an outdated concept in today’s society.

Brinkley suggested a novel approach: “You can get married and think, ‘Let’s see if we want to renew in five years.’ It could be a sort of, um, update process every five years. If you’re not feeling it, you could just walk away without all the legal hassles.”

At 71, Brinkley has experienced marriage four times. Her first marriage was to Jean François Araux from 1973 to 1981, followed by famous musician Billy Joel from 1985 to 1994, Richard Taubman from 1994 to 1995, and her last marriage to Peter Cook from 1996 to 2008.

Throughout her marriages, she has three children. With Joel, she has a daughter named Alexa, who’s now 39, and with Cook, she shares a son, Jack, who is 30, and another daughter, Sailor, who is 27.

Reflecting on her marital experiences, Brinkley told the New York Times, “I trust too much. I guess you could say I’m a love fool. Love can work, but sometimes, perhaps, you need professional advice. I wish I could have found ways to save my previous marriages.” She seemed to almost wish she hadn’t had to marry again.

Brinkley also shared her reflections on her relationships at large, indicating, “I felt unloved in my previous relationship,” although she acknowledged her own charm, saying, “In my right arm, I am adorable.”

On the podcast, Brinkley discussed her current dating life, recounting how her daughter, Sailor, placed her on a dating app without her knowledge. To her surprise, the experience turned out differently than she had anticipated.

Brinkley mentioned, “[Sailor] told me, ‘Mom, you’re right to be cautious with dating apps.’ The same guys who approached me are the ones reaching out to her.” It’s interesting how those parallels can happen.

She has previously reflected on her experiences in her memoir, “Uptown Girl,” revealing that while writing, she found herself confronting chapters she wasn’t keen to delve into. Yet, those were the stories her publishers found most compelling.

Brinkley explained, “There’s a concern about covering divorce and the struggles that come with it; that needs to be relatable.” She recognized the value in sharing the less glamorous aspects of her modeling career too.

She also recounted her relationship with Joel, mentioning the HBO documentary titled “Billy Joel: And It Wants to Work.” In this documentary, she revealed that their romance, which started happily, suffered as his demanding schedule and nightlife took a toll, leaving her to question, “What am I doing here?”

“It’s no secret his drinking got out of hand, and he often didn’t realize the hurt he caused while under the influence,” Brinkley detailed. “After an argument, we decided we couldn’t maintain the relationship, and he was surprisingly indifferent about it,” she remembered.