What happened to the world famous supermodels from the 1980s?

After being discovered in Paris in 1974 while studying art, Christie Brinkley became a defining face of the ‘80s fashion scene thanks to her radiant, athletic image. From appearing on three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers (1979–1981) to her 25-year tenure as the face of CoverGirl, the model was highly in demand in the decade – no less than by Billy Joel, for whom she starred as the Uptown Girl in his hit music video in 1983, later marrying the musician and welcoming a daughter.

Christie has since been married two more times, sharing a son and a daughter with her ex-husbands Richard Taubman and Peter Cook, respectively. Now 72, Christie still boasts that fresh-faced image fans grew up loving, recently sharing a glimpse into her life on her birthday where she’s looking ageless as ever. “I'm too young not to be working. I love my job,” she told The Times in 2021, and even went on to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in her sixties.

Famously discovered as a teen while horseback riding in Miami, the ever-elegant Christy Turlington shot to fame in the late ‘80s thanks to her lucrative fragrance contract with Calvin Klein, gracing the cover of British Vogue at just 17 years old. A household name already, Christy went on to achieve peak celebrity status thanks to her unforgettable 1990 appearance in George Michael’s Freedom! '90 music video.

The supermodel has been married to Edward Burns since 2003 and the pair share two children, with daughter Grace making her runway debut in 2023 looking like the spitting image of her mom. Christy is the founder and president of Every Mother Counts, a maternal health organisation she created after a difficult birth, and was recently announced as Lancôme's newest Global Ambassador.

Australian-born Elle Macpherson – aka “The Body” – quickly went from a Tab soda commercial to magazine pages in the ‘80s, becoming one of the most in-demand models of all time. Alongside a record five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers, Elle aptly appeared in almost every issue of Elle magazine for six consecutive years during the ‘80s, and also expanded her career into acting through roles in Sirens (1994) and Friends (1999–2000).

Now 61 years old, Elle shares two sons, Flynn and Cy, with her ex-partner, French financier Arpad Busson, and is currently dating musician Doyle Bramhall. The top model exclusively told HELLO! in 2025 that she’s in her “most vibrant decade”, adding “being in my sixties has been a transition from being ‘The Body’ to embodying something far more meaningful, with greater purpose."

Scouted at just 15 in 1986, trailblazing model Naomi Campbell made her front cover debut on British Elle only a year later, and went on to become the first black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue France and Time. Renowned for her signature runway walk, she was also a favourite model and muse for designers like Marc Jacobs and Gianni Versace, and remains one of the most recognisable faces in fashion today.

The 55-year-old previously welcomed two children via surrogate, a daughter (2021) and a son (2023), though has chosen to keep the father’s identity hidden. The supermodel recently had her legacy celebrated in a landmark exhibition at the V&A Museum (2024–2025), and opened up to Sky News about how she battled discrimination in her early career. "I would see it coming so I was going to find a way to go around it, go over it, get through it,” she said. "And that's what I did."

Discovered at 16 while attending high school, Cindy Crawford first appeared on the cover of Vogue at just 20 in 1986, instantly becoming a hit due to both her stunning looks and signature mole, which became her trademark. From major fashion spreads to the 1992 Pepsi Super Bowl commercial and her hosting gig on MTV’s House of Style (1989–1995), the supermodel transcended fashion and became a pop culture icon.

Previously married to Richard Gere, Cindy tied the knot with businessman Rande Gerber in 1998 and the pair share two famous kids who have followed their mum into modelling – Kaia and Presley Gerber. The 59-year-old star looked radiant at a recent charity event and balances her media and modelling appearances with a successful skincare line, Meaningful Beauty.

Nicknamed the “chameleon” thanks to her ever-changing look – and ability to rock all of them – Linda Evangelista first shot to fame with her 1988 pixie cut, which instantly made her a standout. She’s appeared on over 700 magazine covers throughout her career, and became a style muse for designers like Karl Lagerfeld, rounding out the supermodel "Holy Trinity" alongside Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. 

Formerly in a short-term relationship to French billionaire François-Henri Pinault, Linda is the mother of one son, Augie (2006), and the 60-year-old has spoken candidly about experiencing facial disfigurement as a side effect of the cosmetic procedure CoolSculpting. A longtime advocate for women – famously saying “We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day” – Linda is now embracing self-acceptance, telling Grazia, “I’m going to enjoy this moment. My dream is to be a grandmother”.