Christie Brinkley has got a new hip.
Christie Brinkley (c) Instagram
The 66-year-old model finally took the plunge and underwent hip replacement surgery, 26 years after she was left injured in a helicopter crash in Colorado in 1994.
Christie admitted she had found the prospect of going under the knife "daunting" and was told she needed a new hip 12 years ago.
The former Sports Illustrated cover star took to Instagram to share a series of snaps of her recent snorkelling trip, one of which a large band aid covering her hip area is visible, while she detailed some of the things she's been able to do since having her new hip.
She captioned the post: “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. 12 years ago I was told it needed to be replaced but the surgery was daunting ! And I had things to do!”
Christie had the operation in November as she couldn't bare the pain any longer.
She continued: “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. I had my surgery at Thanksgiving and I was dancing in my kitchen by New Years Eve and today I put on my long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip! (sic)"
The actress and entrepreneur decided to share her story to encourage anyone who has been putting off doing something that could "improve" their health and well-being to consider how much better it could make their lives.
She added: “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. I found the best Doctor for my circumstances and voila!
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have done this.
“Now I can focus on getting back in shape and rebuilding my strength. Never to old to get hip! PS This was an early morning dive ( literally jumped out of bed and into the boat) so the sun was low and raked highlighting the particles in the water I’m sure to have clearer shots in the days ahead! (sic)"
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