Christie Brinkley, who still looks ravishing at 67, reveals she was finally forced to confront her age when an old injury required her to get hip replacement surgery.
The former supermodel says fell into a deep depression because of the reality of her advancing age.
Christie revealed in January that she underwent a hip replacement to fix an injury from 26 years earlier, when she was in a backcountry skiing helicopter crash.
But in a new interview, she opened up about feeling “really depressed” and “old.”
“I started feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is how you get old,” she recounted.
“It was really depressing so I thought, ‘you know what, I’m going to start to whittle away at it. I’m going to do whatever it takes. I’m going to start to whittle away at this and I thought the hip is what scares me the most. Let me check in on the hip.'”
But Christie said the story has a happy ending. After the surgery, she immediately began to feel better. The hip replacement made a big difference in her life.
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“I tell you for people at home, go speak to the doctors. Find out what they can do for you,” she said on the “Dr. Oz” show.
“You know the more you learn about it the less afraid you will be, and don’t be afraid because you know what these surgeries can do now. The way they have perfected them is really amazing.”
The beauty’s comments come after she previously marked her birthday in January by revealing the huge difference her hip surgery had made.
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“I am overjoyed to be able to move my body again. I am getting stronger every day, and I like think I’m ready for anything … a hike, swim dive, paddle, ride, ski and even a big piece of birthday cake! Hey I can work it off!” she said.
Christie made international headlines in 1994 when she and five others were injured when the helicopter they were riding in crashed on top of a 12,800 foot mountain.
At the time, it was reported that she suffered minor injuries.
The group was trapped in the San Juan Mountains for about five hours, about six miles south of the upscale sky resort in Telluride, Colo.
Heavy winds and snow after the crash complicated the rescue. Another helicopter had to make several trips to the site, braving 40- to 50-mile mph winds to rescue the party, according to reports at the time.
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At the time, Brinkley was married to real estate developer Richard Taubman.
“Not a day goes by that I have not counted my blessing for being alive,” Brinkley said on the 25th anniversary of the crash in 2019.
“I know for a fact that tomorrow is not a guarantee and that each day is a gift and an opportunity to make sure that everybody we love knows it!” she added, showing the upbeat attitude that helped her get through her operation.
Dr. Edwin P. Su performed the surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He has a particular interest in using new technology to achieve the best results for patients with hip and knee arthritis, according to his online bio.
Su graduated from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Biology and Cornell University Medical College.
Hip replacements are usually done when all other treatment options have failed to provide adequate pain relief, according to medical references. The procedure should relieve a painful hip joint, making walking easier.
Even after your hip joint has healed, certain sports or heavy activity should be avoided. The replacement joint is designed for usual day-to-day activity.
In the early 1970s, the average artificial joint was expected to last about 10 years. But now about 85 percent of the hip joint implants last about 20 years.
Improvements in surgical technique and artificial joint materials should make new implants last even longer.
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