Christy Turlington credits her work with Maybelline with helping her gain the skills to launch her charity Every Mother Counts.
Christy Turlington
The 50-year-old supermodel was honoured with the Advocate Award at the 2019 InStyle Awards this week, and she opened up about how the beauty brand - which she first started working with in 1991 - changed her life and enabled her to start the non-profit organisation to improve medical care for women all over the world.
She said: "I am often asked what my first career taught me about the career that I'm in now and I usually say 'Nothing,' but that's not true.
"I would say that relationships are something that I learned very early on and people like Amber (Valletta) and so many people at my table, Lisa, who's worked with me for 25,
"26 years, the relationships get deep and I'm most proud of those.
"Maybelline, I have to say I'm so grateful. We started working together when I was 22 and I turn 50 this year. I think that's an anomaly."
Christy's charity work has landed her several prestigious awards, including being named in British Vogue's "special" 'Forces For Change' issue last year.
The brunette beauty was one of 15 inspirational women featured on the cover of the fashion bible's prestigious fall issue, alongside Adwoa Aboah, Gemma Chan, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek and Jameela Jamil, which was guest edited by the Duchess of Sussex.
Christy was chosen because of her work with Every Mother Counts and she admitted she felt humbled that the royal - who was known as Meghan Markle before her marriage to Prince Harry - and British Vogue's Editor-in-Chief, Edward Enninful, recognised her "advocacy efforts" for the charity, which improves maternal health care.
She said on Instagram: "It's truly an honor to be one of the 15 women featured on the September cover of @britishvogue's #ForcesforChange issue.
"Every cover I have shot for this magazine since my first in 1986 has been special and with each cover shoot and story there's a greater story behind it. This one is uniquely different than all the others because a. it's 34 years later and b. I share it with women I have admired and respected from a distance.
"This cover has brought us virtually closer and has helped to amplify our individual voices by bringing us together. The reason I started @everymomcounts, the organization I founded in 2010, is my belief that every woman deserves the same access to safe and respectful maternity care and that every mother deserves the chance to not only survive pregnancy and childbirth but also to thrive in motherhood.
"Thank you @sussexroyal & @edward_enninful for the recognition not only of me and my advocacy efforts but for seeing the importance of the inclusion of maternal health among the other global challenges and barriers we are collectively working to break down. @therealpeterlindbergh @therealgracecoddington @bartpumpkin @diane.kendal (sic)"
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