Where Are Christie Brinkley's 4 Ex-Husbands Now?
Just before Christie Brinkley turned 70 in February 2024 — looking like she regularly drinks from the fountain of youth no less — the iconic supermodel opened up about all the adventures she was still planning on having, including trips to India and Bali, and learning Italian, as she detailed in an interview with People. Brinkley, who has brandished her blonde locks and winning smile on the covers of hundreds of magazines, also has an active love life.
Single and casually dating, including enjoying a year-long relationship with John Mellencamp, Brinkley confirmed to People she was up for finding love, but if she didn't, that was okay, too. "I am pretty comfortable with my life the way it is, so, que será, será!" the supermodel reasoned. Her life includes owning a successful wine label, Bellissima, as well as an apparel brand called Twrhll.
The entrepreneur has also had plenty of experience with romance, marrying for the first time when she was just 19. Overall, Brinkley has had four different husbands with four different careers: an artist, a musician, a real estate developer, and an architect. Here's what Jean-François Allaux, Billy Joel, Richard Taubman, and Peter Cook, Brinkley's four ex-husbands, have been up to since she divorced them.
Jean-François Allaux
When Christie Brinkley was 18, she moved to live out her dream of being a Paris resident, studying art and working as an illustrator. While she was there, she met Jean-François Allaux, a Moroccan native who had moved to France to study art. She married Allaux in 1973 when she was 19 years old, and was scouted by a photographer soon after. In 1975, the couple made the move to New York City at the urging of Brinkley's modeling agents.
"When my agents wanted me to come to the U.S., my husband and I decided we would go just for three months, make as much money as we could, then come back to Paris," Brinkley told Sports Illustrated. But the golden-haired beauty booked her first swimsuit issue with the magazine almost immediately, and her modeling career skyrocketed. Her move back to the states became permanent; her marriage to Allaux did not, with the couple divorcing in 1981.
Allaux remained in the United States, becoming a freelance illustrator with work in the New York Times, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal, among numerous other publications. In 1999, he became an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and when he retired in 2019, he was head of the Illustration option in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the school. Since retiring, his Instagram has shown he has been traveling, as well as working on sculptures and other art. His home base is in Providence, Rhode Island.
Billy Joel
It's hard not to figure out where Christie Brinkley's second husband is now — you just have to turn on the radio. The supermodel married musician and singer Billy Joel in 1985. Their love story was immortalized in a 1983 music video for Joel's hit song "Uptown Girl." Dressed in an unforgettable black and white strapless dress and a wide-brimmed hat, Brinkley appeared in the video as a high-society lady who falls for a mechanic, played by Joel.
After having one child together in 1985, Alexa Ray Joel, the couple officially separated in November 1993, with their divorce finalized in August 1994. Rumor had it Joel had hopes of reconciling with his ex-wife and could be seen hanging around Brinkley after their romance ended. Though they never got back together, the two have remained close, co-parenting and supporting their daughter through the years.
Joel went on to wed Katie Lee in 2004, but they divorced in 2009. In 2015, he married Alexis Roderick, with whom he shares two daughters, born in 2015 and 2017; the couple were still going strong in 2024. The "Piano Man" singer has also continued his successful chart-topping career, releasing new music and a televised live concert special in 2024.
Richard Taubman
The romance between Christie Brinkley and real estate developer Richard "Ricky" Taubman began when she made a trip to Telluride, Colorado, in early 1994. Accompanying a mutual friend, she stayed at his home in the mountain town, and their relationship blossomed from there. Brinkley was already separated from her second husband Billy Joel, although that fact had yet to be made public.
What drew the couple closer more quickly than the average relationship was a helicopter crash in April 1994. The two were aboard as part of a skiing adventure when the helicopter went down in the snow on the mountains of Colorado. Both were injured, Taubman more seriously than Brinkley. The couple were engaged soon after but waited to marry until after Brinkley's divorce from Billy Joel became final in August 1994. Their nuptials took place in December 1994. Their son, Jack, who was later adopted by Brinkley's fourth husband Peter Cook, was born in June 1995.
Brinkley announced in July 1995 that she and Taubman would be going their separate ways. In their divorce proceedings, Brinkley sued her partner for $2 million she loaned him, while he fought for joint custody of their son. They finally settled out of court in December 1995 when it was reported the long-time face of CoverGirl agreed to drop the loan debt in exchange for full child custody. Taubman has maintained a private profile since his split from Brinkley.
Peter Cook
Christie Brinkley married architect Peter Cook in September 1996, and welcomed daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook in 1998. Cook also adopted Brinkley's son Jack, from her previous marriage. The couple lived together in the Hamptons, where Cook was a successful architect designing high-end homes.
When Brinkley found out Cook had cheated on her, the relationship ended, and she separated from her husband in July 2006. It was later revealed Cook paid his affair partner $300,000 to keep quiet about their rendezvous. During the five-day divorce trial in 2008, Cook also admitted to spending $3,000 a month on internet pornography, which Brinkley cited as part of her argument that he was unfit to have custody of their children. After much negotiation, their legal teams reached an out-of-court settlement, with Brinkley and Cook finally getting their divorce.
The architect went on to marry Suzanne Shaw in early 2012. That same year, Brinkley and Cook hired lawyers and argued over child-support payments. Shaw got involved in the couple's fight, criticizing Brinkley in a lengthy statement she released to the public. Cook divorced Shaw in 2014. Five years later, he became engaged to Alba Jancou, and the couple were married in September 2023. Cook is still close with his daughter, Sailor, who has been known to post Instagram tributes to her dad on Father's Day.