At 18 years old, Christie Brinkley left California for Paris, where she studied art and became an illustrator. An American photographer convinced her to switch careers, and soon she was taking on modeling assignments all over the world. This former Mrs. Billy Joel has been on the cover of more than 500 magazines, three of which were consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions (1979-1981) and represented Cover Girl in their advertisements for 20 years, the longest running contract in modeling history.