There's nothing quite like a glamorous summer in the exclusive celebrity enclave of The Hamptons – and Christie Brinkley knows that better than most.
The model, 72, has owned a property in Bridgehampton, New York, for 28 years, and she opens up about her life there in this exclusive interview with HELLO!.
"My house is always packed," says Christie, who shares her Tower Hill estate with her children – Alexa Ray Joel, 40, Jack Brinkley-Cook, 31, and Sailor Brinkley-Cook, 28 – and a flock of chickens.
© Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.comBuilt in 1891, the property, which is worth an estimated $30m (£22.3m), takes its name from its 50ft observation tower. The sprawling grounds also boast a beehive and a fireplace that Christie built herself, using stones from the beach.
"We do a lot of cooking at home,” she says. “We like to go to the farm stands and get fresh produce and go home, where friends will drop in.
"The Hamptons is a unique community because there’s a little something for everyone," Christie adds. "We have endless beaches. Everyone thinks that The Hamptons are overcrowded, but you can find a beach with a sand dune in the middle of summer with no one on it. Sunset Beach is perfection."
She recommends Sag Harbor’s town square, where she often bumps into friends, and its Italian restaurant Tutto il Giorno, as well as the Gurney’s Inn in Montauk.
© Getty Images"Each town has its own personality, with top-notch restaurants, wonderful chefs and a lot of farm-to-table food,” she says. “I like to go somewhere where I know the vegetables don’t have ‘forever chemicals’ on them."
Adventures on the water, particularly heading up to the North Fork peninsula, are one of Christie's favourite pastimes while in The Hamptons. "I love getting on a boat and taking it to a restaurant," she says. "To me, that's so cool. You have harbours, bays, little inlets, gunkholes [shallow coves] and little streams – you can be on a stand-up paddleboard and weave your way through. It is endless exploration."
© InstagramOne of her summer highlights is the annual Polo Hamptons tournament, which she hosted this year. "I love horses, and there are a lot of beautiful polo players, too," she says. "It’s a fun event, bumping into friends and meeting new ones. It’s a nice atmosphere."
Christie, who is currently single, has been married four times, most famously to the musician Billy Joel from 1985 to 1994. Billy has cited Christie as one of the inspirations for his 1983 hit Uptown Girl, and the couple, who remain close, have one daughter, the singer Alexa Ray. Her actor son Jack is from her 1994 marriage to the real-estate developer Richard Taubman, while her daughter Sailor, a model, is from her 1996 marriage to the architect Peter Halsey Cook.
© Getty ImagesGetting older has enabled her to worry less, she says. "When you’re young, you’re always wondering and thinking about what people are thinking about you," Christie tells us.
"You know, people don’t really spend that much time thinking about you. You should just get on with it and enjoy your day and dive into life and each day. Every day is a brand new clean canvas for you. Dive in and enjoy."
