Christie Brinkley Says Watching Daughter Sailor Dance on ‘DWTS’ Is the ‘Silver Lining’ to Injury

Proud mama! Christie Brinkley may no longer be able to compete on this season of Dancing With the Stars, but the beloved actress is still staying positive. While celebrating the recent grand opening of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida, Christie opened up about handing off her spot on the reality TV competition to her daughter.

“It’s been really the most beautiful silver lining that I could’ve imagined,” the 65-year-old gushed to Closer Weekly of daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook while attending the event on Thursday, October 3. “Obviously I was so crushed, so disappointed not be able to compete myself.”

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Fans were over the moon when it was revealed the stunning supermodel would compete in season 28. It wasn’t until Christie sadly broke her arm during rehearsals just hours before the show premiered that she announced her mini-me would step in and dance in her place.

“Seeing as my first song was ‘Uptown Girl,’ I thought, ‘It’s got to be one of my girls doing it. We can’t just let it come to a grinding halt like this. Never to see the light of day!'” she explained to Closer. “So much work was put into it and I don’t know how Sailor did it but in 10 hours of practice she pulled it off!” 

Ever since she took her mom’s place in the hit dancing competition, Sailor has been performing alongside professional star Val Chmerkovskiy. After news broke that the blonde beauty would be filling in her mom’s place for the rest of the season, Sailor told Good Morning America she hoped to “make her happy and make her proud.” Aww!

We have no doubt Sailor has what it takes to bring home first place considering she is the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most famous models. While chatting with Closer over the summer, Sailor got candid about growing up in the spotlight and revealed the best advice her mom’s given her to boost her confidence.

“She’s mostly just told me to smile — that’s like her No. 1 advice, especially for confidence — to, you know, ‘smile and you’ll feel it.’ I honestly believe that too,” Sailor exclusively told Closer in July.

“When I was younger, I’d be like, ‘No, that’s so stupid! Smiling doesn’t make you happy,'” she added, explaining how her outlook has changed since getting older and more mature. “But if you just put a smile on your face and put your best foot forward, it’s easier. It’s easier to get through all of the bad stuff.”

We hope to watch Sailor and Val take home the mirrorball trophy at the end of the season!

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