Christie Brinkley Goes Snorkeling in One-Piece as Part of Hip Surgery Rehab

Christie Brinkley is on the path to recovery after she underwent hip replacement surgery last November. The model provided fans with a health update on Saturday, revealing that she’s getting some vitamin sea to aid in her rehabilitation. Just two months post-surgery, Brinkley is already back in the water, something she said has proved extremely beneficial.

Currently enjoying a family getaway in Turks and Caicos, the 66-year-old shared photos of herself resting on the beach in a black swimsuit. In the images, the healing scar from her surgery was visible, and Brinkley posed with snorkeling gear in hand, including some flippers. She told fans swimming has been “great rehab” since undergoing surgery, admitting that it’s “def the most fun too!” In the caption, Brinkley also shared, “I kept the scar covered from the sun for better healing, but one of the band-aids fell off. I wish I could start every day with a snorkel! Hope you are all diving into a beautiful day!”

Brinkley underwent surgery over Thanksgiving, revealing the news in another sun-soaked Instagram post earlier this month. The model explained she originally injured her hip “in a back country skiing helicopter crash on a mountaintop in Telluride many years ago,” and it had only gotten worse since then. Brinkley said she had been told “12 years ago” that her hip “needed to be replaced but the surgery was daunting! And I had things to do!” With her pain worsening and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forcing her to cancel most of her plans for the year, she finally decided to undergo the procedure.

“I wanted to be ready to be able to say yes to opportunity,” she wrote. “I had my surgery at Thanksgiving and I was dancing in my kitchen by New Years Eve and today I put on my long fins and explored the coral reefs propelled by my new hip.. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have done this. Now I can focus on getting back in shape and rebuilding my strength. Never to (sic) old to get hip!”

Since undergoing the surgery, Brinkley hasn’t let anything hold her back, and she’s been enjoying her tropical getaway with her family, including daughter Sailor Lee, 22, her boyfriend Ben Sosne, son Jack Paris, 25, and his girlfriend Nina Agdal, 28. She has been documenting her trip on Instagram with fun family photos, and she has also been getting in plenty of swimming, Brinkley’s account filled with numerous snorkeling photos.