Christie Brinkley was born Christie Lee Hudson on February 2, 1954 in Michigan. She was educated at le Lycée Français de Los Angeles and worked in Paris as an entry level illustrator.

In 1976 she signed a twenty-year contract with Cover Girl, the longest model contract ever.

Christie Brinkley appeared on the cover of three consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues (1979-1981). In the book "Model", people who knew her at the start of her carrer say that she slept her way to the top, and that her sweet personality changed dramatically once she achieved a measure of success.

Christie Brinkley has been married four times, Jean-François Allaux (1973-1981), Richard Taubman (1994-1995), Billy Joel (1985-1994).

Christie Brinkley's current husband is Peter Cook, an architect, they married in 1996. She has three children, a son by Taubman, one daughter by Joel and another by Cook.

Christie Brinkley has three children:

• daughter Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985)
• son Jack Paris (born June 2, 1995) with Taubman
• daughter Sailor Lee (born July 2, 1998) with Cook