If you’re a fan of 1980s-era Christie Brinkley, her daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook’s debut on “Dancing with the Stars” will float your boat.
On Monday’s episode of the ABC reality dance competition, Brinkley-Cook, 21, hit the ballroom floor just days after her supermodel mom, 65, fell and broke her arm during rehearsals.
As a result of Brinkley’s injury on Thursday, Brinkley-Cook was brought in to replace her mother, giving her three days to pick up the choreography Brinkley had three weeks to rehearse before Monday night’s Season 28 premiere.
And even though Brinkley-Cook admitted to “DWTS” that she’s “never danced before,” she picked up the steps in time for a foxtrot that honored her mom’s legacy — dancing to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl,” an iconic music video Brinkley starred in in 1983.
Although it must have been somewhat awkward for Brinkley-Cook to dance to a song that’s forever linked to the relationship between her mother and one of her ex-husbands (interestingly, the song was actually written for model Elle Macpherson, not Brinkley), the mother and daughter shared a warm embrace after the performance.
“I am so proud of her,” the Sports Illustrated cover model said onstage afterwards, holding back tears, per People. “I am so proud of you, Sailor.”
In a “DWTS” segment, Brinkley spoke warmly about the “Uptown Girl” video (which you can watch below).
“It’s my theme song!” Brinkley excitedly said to dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy when he revealed the music they were supposed to foxtrot to during their debut on the show. Brinkley also said that making the video with Joel was one of the “fun highlights of my career.”