SI Swimsuit models honor Christie Brinkley
Fox411: Kate Upton and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models pay tribute to supermodel Christie Brinkley on the red carpet for the new issue launch
Sailor Brinkley-Cook admitted stepping into her mother’s dancing shoes was incredibly daunting — at first.
Just hours before the 2019 season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars,” Christie Brinkley announced she was done with the competition series.
The 65-year-old revealed on “Good Morning America” on Monday that she broke her arm during rehearsals and will need to undergo surgery. Brinkley-Cook, 21, took her mother’s place on the hit reality show.
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY OPENS UP ABOUT 'DWTS' INJURY IN EMOTIONAL INTERVIEW
“I didn’t want to at first, honestly,” Brinkley-Cook told People magazine on Tuesday. “I was terrified. It was a very scary thing for me. The whole idea of having to be live on stage, be on TV dancing, that’s something I’ve never done before.”
“I was so scared, but that was the reason I had to do it,” she continued. “I had to surpass the fear. I had to be stronger than the things that scare me. [My mom] told me to have fun with it and to not let fear stop me from doing any of it.”
For the premiere, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit pinup made her grand entrance with a floor-length white gown, which was the same one designed for her mother. Brinkley-Cook danced the foxtrot to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.”
Joel and Brinkley were married from 1985 until 1994. The former couple shares a daughter named Alexa Ray Joel.
“Sailor is truly one fearless, strong, amazing person who just always impresses me,” the proud matriarch told the magazine before the premiere.
According to the outlet, her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy felt the same way.
“Obviously it was a very extraordinary situation, but it wouldn’t be ‘Dancing with the Stars’ without a little excitement,” explained the 33-year-old. “In 15 seasons I’ve never had an experience like this. I’m glad I did. I’m glad I was the one that was put in this position. I’m really grateful for the challenge and I’m grateful I got to share it with an awesome person like Sailor.”
Brinkley-Cook previously told “Good Morning America” on Monday that she quickly had to learn the star's dance routine just hours before performing live.
“I’m doing this mostly for my mom,” said Brinkley-Cook. “I just want to make her proud. She loved doing this. She loves dancing and she loves performing, and getting hurt was her worst nightmare.”
ABC and BBC Studios told Fox News on Monday: "While rehearsing for the premiere of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ Christie Brinkley suffered injuries which required surgery to her wrist and arm. She is unable to continue her planned participation on the show.
“Keeping it all in the family, her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook, a Sports Illustrated model, has chosen to quickly step in with hours to learn the entire routine and will compete in her mother’s place for the remainder of the season. We wish Christie a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her in the audience, whenever possible, proudly supporting Sailor."
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY'S KIDS ‘LAUGHED’ WHEN SHE JOINED ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’
Brinkley told People magazine in August that her children had a surprising reaction to their mom joining the competition. Brinkley has three children: Alexa Ray, 33; Jack Brinkley-Cook, 24; and Sailor Brinkley-Cook.
“They laughed,” admitted Brinkley. “They were like, ‘Oh, you’re going to do ‘Dancing with the Stars?’”
While Brinkley’s kids were unsure about their mother’s chances, she told the outlet they were thrilled to learn the names of the other celebrity contenders.
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“They got really excited when they started hearing about some of the other people that were coming,” Brinkley explained. “You know, there were like leaks coming out of, maybe there is going to be this person or that, and I know my daughter Sailor is a big Karamo [Brown] fan. So she was like, ‘I’ll be there to visit.’”
Fox News’ Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report.
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