Christie Brinkley's marriage to Billy Joel was "painful" by the end.

The 71-year-old model tied the knot with 'Uptown Girl' singer Billy, 75, in 1985 and even though there was a time that she felt like the "luckiest girl", the whole relationship just eventually stopped "functioning" so they divorced after almost a decade together..

Writing in her new memoir 'Uptown Girl', she said: "I still believe in love.

"There were a few doozies. I had two great loves, [my first husband] Jean-Francois and Billy. We laughed like you couldn’t believe.

"And seeing him in concert.

“I felt like the luckiest girl in the whole arena. I liked to be right in the front row by the piano so he could glance at me and I could look up and see everything. But [in the end], our relationship wasn't functioning in the way you want it to anymore and it was painful."

Just months after her divorce from Billy, Christie survived a helicopter crash and reflected that she made some "really bad choices" at the time and she was still "reeling" from the split.

She told PEOPLE: "I definitely had post-traumatic stress disorder and I was making some really bad choices. I was really lost.

"I was looking at myself in that chapter, like, what happened to you?

"I think I was reeling from losing Billy and and I was thinking Billy is going to come riding into town any second and go ‘I can’t lose you. I got in deeper. I didn’t take time to stop and reflect and learn."

Christie then married Richard Taubman in 1994 and they had Jack, 29, together but split up after just a year together.

The former 'Masked Singer' contestant, then married Peter Cook in 1996 and went on to have Sailor, 26, with him, but they divorced in 2008.

When asked about love in general, Christie insisted that it is something that needs to be "nurtured" but it cannot be "changed" to fit around a situation or a want.

She added: "Love is something that you have to cherish while you have it and nurture it, but you can’t hang onto it and you can’t change it or mold it to your desires."

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
John Cena is back to lead the in-your-face "Peacemaker" season 2 trailer
The next "Godzilla x Kong" has an official title and a release date
Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman go "toe to toe" in the trailer for 'The Old Guard 2'
Tom Ellis reveals he will be returning for season 3 of 'Tell Me Lies'
'American Dad' is returning for Season 20 but with major change
15 times reality TV stars forgot the cameras were rolling
20 songs in which famous artists switched up their sound
20 iconic film scenes that always gives viewers goosebumps
Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are ready for one last case in new 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' teaser trailer
NBC renews 'Law & Order: SVU' but two characters will not be returning
Owen Wilson is a golfer looking for a second chance in 'Stick' trailer
The director of the next "Evil Dead" movie wants to put you through the emotional wringer (in a good way)
The next "Lord of the Rings" movie gets release date
Release date alert: 'The Lord of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum' sets 2027 debut
23 actors who made Disney Channel more than a cable network
20 fantastic films with bittersweet endings
20 box office flops that are actually worth watching
Stephen King's dystopian "The Long Walk" releases tense trailer
There's one episode of "Daredevil: Born Again" that Charlie Cox is not a fan of
The 20 best TV show musical scores

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.