Who is Christy Turlington? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Christy Nicole Turlington Burns, Christy Burns

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Edward Burns (m. 2003)

father: Dwain Turlington

mother: María Elizabeth Turlington

siblings: Erin Turlington, Kelly Turlington

children: Finn Burns, Grace Burns

Models American Women

Height: 5'10" (178 cm), 5'10" Females

Ancestry: Salvadoran American

U.S. State: California

More Facts

education: Columbia University, New York University

Recommended For You

1

What is Christy Turlington known for in the fashion industry?

Christy Turlington is known for her successful modeling career, particularly as one of the original supermodels of the 1990s.
2

How did Christy Turlington transition from modeling to activism?

Christy Turlington transitioned from modeling to activism by founding the nonprofit organization Every Mother Counts, which focuses on maternal health around the world.
3

What significant achievements has Christy Turlington made in the realm of public health?

Christy Turlington has made significant achievements in the realm of public health by advocating for maternal health through her organization Every Mother Counts and producing documentaries on the subject.
4

What impact has Christy Turlington had on the fashion industry beyond her modeling career?

Christy Turlington has had a significant impact on the fashion industry beyond her modeling career by advocating for sustainability and ethical practices in fashion, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion.

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Childhood & Early Years

Christy Nicole Turlington Burns was born on 2 January 1969 in Walnut Creek, California. Her father Dwain Turlington was a Pan American World Airways pilot, while her mother María Elizabeth née Parker Infante worked as a flight attendant. Christy is of European-American ancestry from her father’s side and Central American from her mother’s, who hails from El Salvador.

Born second among her parents’ three children, Christy has two sisters named Erin and Kelly. Because of her father’s job, she lived in various cities in her childhood.

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American Models

Career

Christy Turlington was first spotted by a local photographer named Dennie Cody in Miami in 1983. The photos he took somehow landed in a modeling agency and very soon, she became a part-time model.

Possibly in 1985, her family moved to Danville, California, where she was enrolled at ‘Monte Vista High School’. Concurrently, she continued modeling during her summer holidays before being signed by the ‘Ford Modelling Agency’ in the same year.

Christy appeared in the outdoor scenes of the pop-rock band Duran Duran’s music video ‘Notorious’ in 1986. Not long after that, she established herself as a successful model, appearing on the cover of the January 1987 edition of ‘Vogue Germany’.

She dropped out of high school in 1987 and moved to New York City to become a full-time model. Within two years, she signed a seven-figure contract as the new face of Calvin Klein, remaining with the brand until 2007.

In January 1990, Christy featured on the cover of ‘British Vogue’ along with supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Tatjana Patitz. Their pairing caught the eye of the pop singer George Michael, who hired all of them to appear in his music video ‘Freedom! 90’.

In 1991, the five models were hired to walk the runway at Gianni Versace’s 1991 couture show. Very soon, all five of them began to be known as supermodels, gaining global recognition individually.

Christy signed a contract with Maybelline in 1992 as their new face. In the following year, she was christened “Face of the 20th Century” by the ‘New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’. They also created a line of mannequins in her likeness.

Sometime in the 1990s, she graduated from school and enrolled in the ‘Gallatin School of Individualized Study’ of the ‘New York University’ to study comparative religion and eastern philosophy. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1999. Later, she acquired a master’s degree in public health from the ‘Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health’.

Christy ventured into business in 1995, co-founding and promoting a restaurant chain called ‘Fashion Café’ with Campbell, Elle Macpherson and Schiffer. In the same year, she also appeared in the fashion documentaries ‘Unzipped’ and ‘Catwalk’. She was also part of a documentary called ‘Pret-a-Porter’, released in 1994.

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The year 1999 saw her found her own company ‘Turly Inc.’ She eventually branched out into skin care, producing an ayurvedic skincare line called ‘Sundari’. In the 2000s she partnered with ‘Puma’ to launch two clothing lines for active women. Concurrently, she continued modeling, participating in many major campaigns all through the 2000s and the 2010s.

Currently, Christy serves as a spokesperson for the cosmetics brand Maybelline, and she is also a brand ambassador for Imedeen beauty supplements. She is still an active model who continues to appear in different fashion magazines and fashion shows. She was an initial product tester for the Apple Watch, launched in 2015.

Other Activities

Christy Turlington had been smoking ever since she was a teenager. She quit it in 1995, but became an anti-smoking campaigner only in 1997 when her father died of lung cancer. Since then, she has appeared in a number of health awareness TV adverts.

In 2000, she underwent a lung scan to raise awareness about regular health checkups and was diagnosed with early stage emphysema at the age of 31.

Christy faced complications during childbirth in 2003 and learned that over 50,000 women die from such conditions each year, but 90% of these deaths are preventable. This information inspired her to earn a master’s degree in public health. In 2005, she started working with CARE, visiting different countries for the organization.

In 2010, she founded ‘Every Mother Counts’, which is dedicated to reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health. In the same year, she made her directorial debut with ‘No Woman, No Cry’, a documentary on maternal health.

A yoga practitioner since in 1987, Christy published her book ‘Living Yoga: Creating A Life Practice’ in 2002. Besides that, she has also contributed numerous articles to magazines like ‘Marie Claire’, ‘Yoga Journal’ and ‘Teen Vogue’.

Family & Personal Life

Christy Turlington married actor-producer Edward Fitzgerald Burn in San Francisco on June 7, 2003. They first met each other at a party in 2000; and by the end of the year, they were engaged.

They broke up briefly in 2002 but reunited later. At the time of their wedding, Christy was 25 weeks pregnant with their daughter Grace. Their second child, a son named Finn, was born in 2006.

Facts About Christy Turlington

Christy Turlington is not only a successful model, but she is also a dedicated humanitarian. She founded the nonprofit organization Every Mother Counts, which aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother worldwide.

In addition to her modeling career, Christy Turlington is a certified yoga instructor and has been practicing yoga for years. She even co-founded the wellness brand, Nuala, which focused on sustainable yoga wear.

Christy Turlington is a published author, having written a book called "Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice" which explores the benefits of yoga and provides guidance on incorporating it into daily life.

Christy Turlington Biography

You wanted to know

What is Christy Turlington known for in the fashion industry?

How did Christy Turlington transition from modeling to activism?

What significant achievements has Christy Turlington made in the realm of public health?

What impact has Christy Turlington had on the fashion industry beyond her modeling career?