How did Christie Brinkley meet Billy Joel? Marriage and split explored as former supermodel opens up about relationship with ex-husband

Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel were once one of the 'It' couples of Hollywood in the 80s. While the supermodel did not recognize the musician during their first meeting, she fell for him eventually, and this blossomed into a romantic story. Despite their divorce, the couple has remained close.

Brinkley and Joel first crossed paths in early 1983 at an airport. They were vacationing in St. Barta when, according to an interview with Joel by Rolling Stone, he "recognized her immediately." Joel recalled being mesmerized by Brinkley's beauty as he tried to woo her. He revealed,

"She was more beautiful than she was in her pictures — [I thought], ‘Oh, wow, that’s Christie Brinkley. I wonder if she knows who I am.’ So I did what I call an album cover — I tried to look like me on an album cover. I gave it every angle I could. She didn’t recognize me from a hole in the wall."

While their love story did not shape up well right away, Joel tried to impress Brinkley with his music at a bar. Things took a turn when she starred in the music video for his hit song Uptown Girl, which solidified their budding relationship.

About two years later, the couple tied the knot in New York Harbor, on a yacht. They chose to settle down in Long Island, and by the end of 1985, they welcomed their daughter Alexa Ray Joel.

The couple remained together for about a decade before rumors of their split began making the rounds. Their divorce was finalized in August 1994, although neither Brinkley nor Joel publicly disclosed the reasons behind ending their marriage.

Christie Brinkley was previously married to François Allaux from 1973 to 1981. After her divorce from Joel, she went on to tie the knot with Richard Taubman in 1994, but the two split up a year later. In 1996, she married Peter Cook. They welcomed their son Jack and daughter Sailor before calling it quits in 2008.

On the other hand, Billy Joel was also married to Elizabeth Ann Weber from 1973 to 1982. He tied the knot with Katie Lee in 2004, but their marriage ended in 2009. In 2015, the musician got married to Alexis Roderick, with whom he shares two daughters, Della Rose and Remy Anne.

Christie Brinkley talks about her friendship with ex-husband Billy Joel

It has been more than three decades since Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel split. However, the two appear to have maintained a cordial relationship. In a recent interview with People Magazine, the former supermodel revealed that she is on good terms with Joel. However, they do not get to see each other often.

"He lives mainly in Florida so we don’t see him as much as when he lived in Sag Harbor, but when he comes by to see Alexa, he’ll come in and say hello."

Despite their split, Christie Brinkley fondly recalled her relationship with Joel and said,

"We laughed like you couldn’t believe."

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The former supermodel added that Joel was "sensitive" as he bought her flowers, wrote her notes, poems, and songs.

While things were great between the couple, it's reported that it was the pressure of the spotlight that allegedly came between their marriage. In her forthcoming memoir titled Uptown Girl, the Parks and Recreation alum revealed that she "never wanted to end things with Billy."

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