Christie Brinkley has a new life after hip surgery 26 years after helicopter crash

New year, new outlook on life to come.

Christie Brinkley rang in 2020 by taking to Instagram to reveal that she has finally pushed back the last years of apprehension and fear and got a hip replacement to repair a nagging injury suffered in a helicopter crash In 1994.

“New year, new hip. Yep, that’s a bandage on my hip, ” Brinkley wrote in the post which began with a photo of the legendary model on the side of a boat with a bandage on her hip.

Breathing New Life: Christie Brinkely, 66, revealed she had hip replacement surgery 26 years after being injured in a terrible helicopter crash in the mountains of Colorado

Brinkley, 66, then revealed that the pain in his hip had worsened with each passing year.

Eventually, the injury became severe enough that doctors strongly recommended that she undergo hip replacement surgery.

“12 years ago, I was told it had to be replaced, but the surgery was intimidating! And I had things to do! the Michigan native thought to herself, which turned out to be her way of fending off the inevitable.

The famous model shared two photos on Instagram that showed up on the side of a boat with a bandage on her hip

The mother-of-three has revealed that she was told to undergo hip replacement surgery 12 years ago, but postponed it due to fear and a busy schedule.

But then, like so many others over the past 10 months, the COVID-19 pandemic turned Brinkley’s world upside down and she finally decided to take the time to do “ something about the pain that had gradually influenced my decisions ”.

This past Thanksgiving, the mother-of-three put those thoughts into action and underwent surgery that she says gave her plenty of time to dance in her kitchen on New Years Eve.

“And today I put on my long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip! she shared with some photos from her ocean snorkeling escapades.

Passed into action: Brinkley also shared a few photos of herself snorkeling just weeks after undergoing hip replacement surgery

Silver lining: The famous model confessed that the COVID-19 pandemic helped put things in perspective, giving her time to face her fears and move forward with the operation

It was then that Brinkley encouraged his 659,000 fans and followers to take charge of their own health and well-being.

“ I am writing this all to say that if you are delaying something that could improve your well-being but are hesitating out of fear, I suggest learning as much as you can about the process, the results and the expectations. I have found the best doctor for my situation and voila!

And in the end, the results of the surgery seem better than expected.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did this,” she confessed before adding, “Now I can focus on getting back into shape and rebuilding my strength. Never too old to become trendy!

Star Breakout: Brinkley gained worldwide fame with his appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, starting in the late 1970s; she is pictured during a photoshoot in April 1977

The near-tragic helicopter crash happened while she was on a ski trip with five other people in Telluride, Colo.

Surprisingly after five hours, they were all rescued from 12,800 feet above sea level by another helicopter, according to the Associated press.

Brinkley gained worldwide fame with his appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, starting in the late 1970s.

Her meteoric rise in the modeling industry would eventually lead to a long career that saw her be one of the original models.

Legendary: The Michigan native’s meteoric rise in the modeling industry would eventually lead to a long career that would rank her as one of the original models