Christie Brinkley Says Ex-Husband Billy Joel Is ‘Very Excited’ She’s Doing ‘Dancing With The Stars’

Christie Brinkley has the support of her family as she gets ready to make her debut on Dancing with the Stars. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit legend, 65, told Us Weekly that even her superstar ex-husband, Billy Joel, is rooting for her.

While Christie admitted she hasn’t heard directly from the Billy since she was cast on the ABC celebrity ballroom competition, Alexa Ray Joel, her daughter with the Piano Man, gave her the scoop.

“I haven’t really heard from [Billy Joel], although I did hear through Alexa that he was very excited. He thought that it was a really fun, great thing to be doing.”

Supermodel Brinkley married Joel in 1985, two years after she was famously featured in the singer’s 1983 music for the song “Uptown Girl.” The couple welcomed Alexa in 1985 but by 1994 they divorced.

Still, the exes have remained on friendly terms. Us notes that in 2014, Brinkley was front and center for one of Joel’s concerts at his Madison Square Garden residency, where he serenaded her while performing “Uptown Girl.” Five years later, Christie Brinkley’s fans can already picture her dancing to her signature song “Uptown Girl” when she competes on Dancing with the Stars.

Brinkley recently told Social Life that she and her musical ex got together for years at Christmastime when their daughter Alexa was a little girl, as shared by The Inquisitr this month.

“Many years after our divorce, Billy would still come to my house for the Christmas sing-along and play the piano, and all of our friends would come over and sing Christmas carols,” Brinkley told the magazine, per People.

After her marriage to Joel ended, Brinkley had two more kids, Jack, 24, and Sailor, 21, with her now-ex-husband Peter Cook.

Brinkley told Us that all three of her kids plan to be in the audience when she makes her debut on Dancing with the Stars this week.

“They’re all rescheduling their lives so that they can try to be there on the first dance. [It’s] nice to know that I’ll have my little cheering section there.”

The New York-based Brinkley will compete against American Idol alum Lauren Alaina, singer Ally Brooke, Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown, The Office’s Kate Flannery, NFL star Ray Lewis, actor Kel Mitchell, NBA star Lamar Odom, former White House communications director Sean Spicer, Dawson’s Creek star Van Der Beek, and The Supremes’ Mary Wilson for the show’s 28th mirrorball trophy.

Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, September 16, at 8 p.m. on ABC.