Christie Brinkley is putting her life story out there for all to see with the April 29 release of her memoir, Uptown Girl, and a source exclusively tells In Touch writing the book was a hugely cathartic experience for the 71-year-old model, who’s finally facing the demons of her past and dealing with the hurt and heartbreak of her failed marriages, career lows and ecstatic highs. 

“Christie has been religiously keeping a journal since she first started her modelling career, writing about all her travels and romances and all the wonderful, and not so wonderful, moments in her life,” the insider says. “Now that she’s in her 70s, she decided it was time to share her life story, she figures it’s now or never.” 

Christie, who has appeared on over 500 magazine covers throughout her career, has plenty of juicy stories to spill in the pages of her upcoming book, though, according to her, the memoir is more than just an attempt to let fans see her side of her iconic career and tumultuous personal life.

“I wrote Uptown Girl to inspire readers to create the life they want, which is what I’ve always tried to do, not through fortune or fame, but by saying yes to adventure and trying to find the magic in every moment, no matter how big or how small,” the National Lampoon’s Vacation star announced via her publisher, Harper Influence, on February 4.

While there’s still “plenty she wants to set the record straight on,” the source adds, “her goal with this book isn’t revenge. She’s sharing her life story and philosophy with the hope that she can inspire readers to make the most of their lives.” 

But that doesn’t mean Christie’s memoir will be a self-help book. Telling her own story in her own words is an opportunity for her to deal with her past on her terms and heal from some of the trauma she’s been subjected to. 

“Of course, there are certain people who have done her wrong over the years that are going to get blasted, namely her ex-husband Peter [Cook], who really put her through hell,” the source adds. “She’s still furious at the way he tried to destroy her, and she doesn’t hold back in this book.” 

Peter, 65, married the Sports Illustrated cover model in 1996. They divorced in 2008, after Christie discovered his affair with the architect’s then-19-year-old assistant, Diana Bianchi, which tore the actress apart. The source assures that more details of the horrible situation will come to light in the memoir as she clears the air about the sordid mess.

While Christie’s marriage to Peter ended in flames, that isn’t necessarily the case for her other three previous marriages, notably to her second husband, Billy Joel, to whom she was married from 1985 to 1994. She starred in many of the hit-maker’s music videos, including “Uptown Girl” – now the title of her new memoir.

“On the other hand, she has a beautiful friendship with Billy now and she’s going to tell all about their love affair, heartbreaking divorce and the beautiful way that they’ve healed the hurt and come together as true friends in the years since they split up,” the insider says. “She’s done so much in her career and has so many wild stories from her days modelling and acting and she’s excited to finally share them with her fans.”