Legendary model, 65-year-old Christie Brinkley, was one of 12 celebrities who are set to take on the 28th season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
However, in an unexpected turn of events, Good Morning America is reporting that Brinkley will no longer be a contestant on the competition show. The model reportedly fell and broke her arm during a rehearsal over the weekend, just days before the first live show.
ABC and BBC studios explained in a release regarding the model’s injuries that “Brinkley suffered injuries which required surgery to her wrist and arm.”
Now, because Brinkley can no longer compete, her daughter, 21-year-old Sailor Lee Brinkley-Cook, will be filling in for her mother.
The former supermodel said in her own a statement given to Good Morning America:
“Showbiz is all about getting a break, and Sailor and I both got one on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ this season. Sailor joined the cast when I got mine … ouch somebody stop me, it hurts to laugh!”
As GMA reports, Sailor had just two days to learn her mother’s entire routine before the live show, which premieres on Monday, September 16 at 8 p.m.
She explained that she was just about to take off on her flight to support her mom in the audience when she learned the news:
“She cries every five minutes at the fact that I’m doing this and the fact that I’m taking over. Basically, she always calls it the silver lining, you know, we found the silver lining in a terrible situation.”
The show has decided to wait until its premiere before revealing which professional dancers have been paired with which star. So it’s unclear who Sailor will be dancing with as of right now.
.@Ginger_Zee is giving us a sneak peek of this season of @dancingABC — including an interview with @SeaBrinkley‘s daughter Sailor who will be taking her place after she broke her arm in rehearsal. #DWTS https://t.co/vCu1GI9DWR pic.twitter.com/X5Bv05Aqkx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 16, 2019
Nonetheless, despite the quick turnaround, Sailor is determined to make her mother and her partner proud:
“I’m doing this mostly for my mom! I just want to make her happy and make her proud. She loved doing this, she loves dancing and she loves performing and getting hurt was her worst nightmare. I felt this high of just attacking something I was so afraid of and it felt like something I need to do. I think it will change me.”
And in another silver lining moment, Sailor told GMA that they didn’t even need to alter her mom’s costume to fit her.
It fit like a glove.