Christie Brinkley has new lease on life after undergoing hip replacement surgery 26 years after helicopter crash in Colorado: ‘New year, new hip’
New year, new look on life going forward.
Christie Brinkley rang in 2020 by taking to Instagram to reveal that she finally pushed past years of apprehension and fear and got a hip replacement to fix a nagging injury sustained during a helicopter crash back in 1994.
‘New year, new hip. Yes, that’s a band aid on my hip,’ Brinkley wrote in the post that began with a photo of the legendary supermodel on the side of a boat with a bandage on her hip.
New lease on life: Christie Brinkely, 66, revealed she underwent hip replacement surgery 26 years after being injured in a harrowing helicopter crash in the mountains of Colorado
Brinkley, 66, went on to reveal that the pain in her hip had been getting worse with each passing year.
Eventually the injury got bad enough that doctors highly recommended she undergo a hip replacement operation.
’12 years ago I was told it needed to be replaced but the surgery was daunting ! And I had things to do!’ the Michigan native told herself, which turned out to be her way of putting off the inevitable.
The famed supermodel shared two pictures on Instagram that showed herself on the side of a boat with a bandage on her hip
The mother of three revealed she was told to get hip replacement surgery 12 years ago but had been putting it off due to fear and a busy schedule
But then, like so many others in the past 10-plus months, the COVID-19 pandemic shook up Brinkley’s world and she decided to finally take the time to do ‘something about the pain that had progressively influenced my decisions.’
This past Thanksgiving the mother of three put those thoughts into action and underwent the surgery, which she said gave her enough time to dance in her kitchen on New Year’s Eve.
‘And today I put on my long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip!’ she shared along with some photos of her ocean escapades while snorkeling.
Sprung into action: Brinkley also shared a couple of photos of herself snorkeling just weeks after undergoing the hip replacement operation
Silver lining: The famed supermodel confessed the COVID-19 pandemic helped put things into perspective, allowing her the time to face her fears and move forward with the surgery
It was at this point that Brinkley encouraged her 659,000 fans and followers to take charge with their own health and well-being.
‘I’m writing all this to say If you’ve been putting something off that could improve your well-being but hesitate out of some sort of fear, I suggest learning as much as you can about the process and the results and expectations. I found the best Doctor for my circumstances and voila!’
And in the end, the results of the surgery appear to be better than expected.
‘I can’t tell you how happy I am to have done this,’ she confessed before adding, ‘now I can focus on getting back in shape and rebuilding my strength. Never too old to get hip!’
Breakout star: Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, beginning in the late 1970s; she is pictured during a photoshoot in April 1977
The near tragedy helicopter crash happened while she was on a ski trip with five others in Telluride, Colorado.
Amazingly after five hours, they were all were rescued from 12,800 feet up a mountain by another helicopter, according to the Associated Press.
Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, beginning in the late 1970s.
Her meteoric rise in the modeling industry would end up leading to a long career that branded her one of the original supermodels.
Legendary: The Michigan native’s meteoric rise in the modeling industry would end up leading to a long career that branded her one of the original supermodels