A Look At Christie Brinkley & John Mellencamp's Split

Everyone remembers that Christie Brinkley was married to Billy Joel, and you're probably humming "Uptown Girl" at the reminder. But Brinkley also got romantic with another musician — John Mellencamp. The couple dated for a year between the fall of 2015 and the summer of 2016, hooking up when she was 61 and he was just shy of his 64th birthday.

When news broke of their relationship, the statuesque model confirmed their status with People. "John and I are two people that have very full lives. We're just trying to enjoy each other when we can see each other and try not to put too much [pressure] on it."

Brinkley was right when she said each of them were busy people with busy lives — it was their active careers that were at the heart of their eventual split. Upon their break-up, the couple released a statement via a rep that explained the situation. "Both the mileage between their homes and their heavy career demands interfered with their ability to maintain the relationship," reported Us Weekly. 

When Christie Brinkley and John Mellencamp began dating in September 2015, both were working hard at their individual careers. Mellencamp had just finished an 80-city, eight-month tour for his album "Plain Spoken," and was in the process of promoting Farm-Aid, scheduled for later that month. Brinkley was promoting her own skincare line, eyewear, and hair extensions.

As if they weren't already busy enough, things got even more complicated when Brinkley released her book "Timeless Beauty" in November 2015 and began a whirlwind of promotional appearances. Behind the scenes, the entrepreneur was also working on releasing her own brand of organic prosecco, Bellissima, which made its debut in April 2016. Meanwhile, Mellencamp was also working on something big — more concerts for "Plain Spoken." Due to the overwhelming success of the original tour, the "Pink Houses" singer created a second set of tour dates that kicked off in April 2016.

In addition to their work commitments, Brinkley and Mellencamp were also facing the difficulties of a long-distance relationship. The supermodel had her main home in The Hamptons, about two or three hours outside of New York City, while the rocker was known to hang out at his homes in South Carolina and Indiana. 

When Christie Brinkley and John Mellencamp announced their split, they also added the following nugget to their prepared statement: "They vowed to remain best of friends," noted Us Weekly. Brinkley proved that sentiment to be true when she clapped back at the New York Post regarding a Page Six article written about the couple's break-up. In it, an unnamed source claims it was politics and Mellencamp's lack of social grace in Brinkley's beloved The Hamptons that caused the duo to part ways.

Brinkley wrote a lengthy Instagram post in August 2016 refuting the claims. "While much has been written over the years about me that I simply allow to roll off my back ... I do stand up for my friends when things seem unfair and this is the case here," she stated. The three-time "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit" cover model went on to explain both she and Mellencamp were voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, and added the P.S.: "John has more friends and invitations to sit at fancy tables in the Hamptons than I do."

She also reiterated the cause of their split was as originally stated. "As to the problem John and I faced, it's just Mileage. Pure and simple." As for Mellencamp, he's notoriously interview-shy, but he did offer an opinion to CBS News in 2018 on why his relationships don't seem to last. "Apparently, women just don't like me very much. That's all I can say about that."