Christie Brinkley Undergoes Hip Replacement Surgery 26 Years After Helicopter Crash

Christie Brinkley explained why she finally decided to finally have hip replacement surgery, nearly three decades after a scary helicopter crash.

By Kaitlin Reilly Jan 06, 2021 7:00 PMTags
Watch: Christie Brinkley Shares Broken Arm Update

Christie Brinkley has a new hip, and a wild story to go with it!

On Jan. 6, the supermodel shared a photo slideshow of herself hanging out on a boat and snorkeling to Instagram. She explained that the photos were taken not long after she underwent surgery to replace her hip following a scary accident from 1994. 

"New Year, New Hip! Yes that's a band aid on my hip. I injured my hip in a back country skiing helicopter crash on a mountaintop in Telluride many years ago. The pain in my hip got a little bit worse each year," the 66-year-old star explained. "12 years ago I was told it needed to be replaced but the surgery was daunting ! And I had things to do!
But quarantine put a damper on any plans so I decided to finally take time for myself and do something about the pain that had progressively influenced my decisions. I wanted to be ready to be able to say yes to opportunity."

The Parks and Recreation alum added that she had the surgery over Thanksgiving, and was fortunately "dancing in my kitchen by New Years Eve." Days later, she said she "put on long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip!"

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Stars Celebrate New Year's Eve 2020

"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," she continued. "I found the best Doctor for my circumstances and voila! I can't tell you how happy I am to have done this."

She said she's glad she can now focus on "getting back in shape and rebuilding my strength."

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She joked, "Never to [sic] old to get hip!"

Christie's accident made headlines in 1994, when her helicopter crashed in Telluride, Colorado. She, along with five others, were trapped on the mountain for five hours before being rescued. 

Despite the scary ordeal and subsequent surgery, it seems that Christie is enjoying her new hip just fine.