Christie Brinkley’s daughter lands Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue

Sept. 27 (UPI) — Christie Brinkley’s younger daughter will appear in the 2018 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Sailor Brinkley Cook, 19, will follow in the supermodel’s footsteps by posing as a rookie for the magazine’s annual swimsuit edition.

Brinkley surprised Cook with the news in a video on the Sports Illustrated Swim Daily website. Cook thought she was giving an interview for New York Fashion Week when Brinkley made the big announcement.

“I’ve come here to give you some really exciting news,” the 63-year-old model said. “You’re going to be a rookie for Sports Illustrated swimsuit!”

Brinkley shares Sailor with Peter Cook, 22-year-old son Jack with Richard Taubman, and 31-year-old daughter Alexa Ray with Billy Joel. She followed up by sharing a photo of Sailor posing in a one-piece “Sailor” swimsuit.

“EXCITING NEWS!!! Congratulations Sailor! Raise Your Sails and Go For It! @si_swimsuit,” the supermodel wrote. “#sportsillustrated #siswimsuit #model #rolemodel.”

Swim Daily reported Brinkley has appeared in eight Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, including on the 1979, 1980 and 1981 covers. Sports Illustrated swimsuit editor MJ Day had nothing but praise for the model’s daughter.

“Obviously we loved Sailor from the get go,” Day said. “She’s the millennial girl next door. She’s funny. She’s driven. She’s smart. She’s beautiful. She’s interesting. And most of all, she has a voice and isn’t afraid to use it.”

“She takes beautiful pictures but that’s only one of the countless things she’s good at,” she added. “Much like her mom, she embodies everything it means to be an SI swimsuit model, but she’s doing it in a way that is very much her own.”