Christie Brinkley is sharing new details about her past relationship with Billy Joel ahead of her upcoming memoir.
In an interview with Page Six, she reflected on their high-profile 1980s relationship and revealed the moment she knew their marriage had to end.
The supermodel, 71, called their time together an "amazing time of my life" and said they were "probably really soulmates."
Despite her efforts to preserve what she called a "wonderful" relationship, Brinkley said that Joel's struggles with alcohol became an "issue" that ultimately contributed to their split.
"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 said of their marriage, which lasted from 1985 to 1994.
In her memoir "Uptown Girl," Brinkley opens up about the impact Joel's drinking had on their marriage. According to Page Six, she recounts how the singer would vanish for extended periods, sometimes days at a time. Brinkley cites moments such as their daughter Alexa Ray's fifth birthday and a Thanksgiving dinner as just a couple of the significant occasions he failed to show up for.
Brinkley recalled that the breaking point in their relationship came during a rehearsal at their home, when Joel had invited his band over to practice.
"He was acting delusional in a way I'd never seen before," she told Page Six, sharing that Joel was convinced that his bandmates had eaten his pasta after he'd already eaten it.
The next day, Brinkley told Joel that she wanted a divorce.
"To be clear, I never wanted to end things with Billy," she said. "I read every self-help book I could find … we went to see a string of psychiatrists, psychologists and other medical doctors."
Although their relationship had its challenges, Brinkley shared that she holds no resentment toward Joel.
"He's the father of my firstborn and we spent such great formative years together. And I'll love him forever. Things just reached a point where I knew I couldn't live with him," she said.
In an excerpt from her memoir shared with People, Brinkley revealed that Joel's drinking became "bigger than the both of us" and ultimately caused a rift between them.
"In the end, when the relationship isn't functioning the way you want it to be anymore — that's the worst kind of loneliness because you just can't make it work together and that's painful," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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