Happy Birthday Christie Brinkley

Brinkley, born in California, studied at a French school and went to study art in Paris in 1973. It was there that Elite Model Managing picked her up. At the time, she was a self-described surfer girl who didnt see herself as a model.

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, and I always wanted my body to be healthy for those kids. And besides, it felt disrespectful to my parents, Brinkley told New York Magazine.

Her first marriage was to a man she met in France at the beginning of her career, Jean-Franois Allaux. Then came Billy Joel, who immortalized her in Uptown Girl. The two broke it off in 1985, after they had a daughter. Then came Richard Taubman (one son, and they divorced) and, finally, Peter Cook.

While her split from Billy Joel was amicable, her 2008 divorce from Peter Cook was not. Cook had been carrying out an affair with an 18-year-old and spending thousands on online porn. Brinkley won custody of the kids.

A real crash; she and Richard Taubman survived a helicopter crash together in Colorado, and married near the accident site. Unfortunately, it proved a shaky foundation for a relationship.

Thats a record, but we can see why; she doesnt look much different now than she did decades ago. She holds another record: three Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers in a row. She was the first to appear on three consecutive swimsuit covers, in 1979, 1980, and 1981.

Brinkley, the epitome of fresh-faced health, says she owes it to vegetables. "I've been a vegetarian since I was about 12 -years -old. When I became a vegetarian I got my mom and dad to become a vegetarian, my brother became a vegetarian, she told Shape. Shes also active in animal rights.

She wrote Christie Brinkleys Outdoor Fitness and Beauty Tips in 1983, and it catapulted to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Her prescient advice included the idea that we ought to eat a lot of vibrant colors every day. But what does a supermodel whos never eaten McDonalds know? Oh, right, probably a lot.

Still reeling from her 2008 divorce, Brinkley says she isnt ready for another relationship. Most of the time Ive got my kids with me, so Im not as prone to meeting people, she said in a Prevention interview. And then, you never really know if someone is talking to you because youre a celebrity.

Brinkley was a delegate for Al Gore at the Democratic National Convention in 2000, but since her high-profile, tabloid-skewered divorce, shes been less active in the political arena; shes switched to environmental activism. She also works as a spokesmodel for Total Gym, alongside Chuck Norris. Her life advice: I really believe in the old expression that what doesnt kill you makes you stronger, Brinkley said in a Prevention interview. Its through adversity that you find the strength you never knew you had.