Christine Brinkley shared a sweet tribute to Chuck Norris after his passing, celebrating over two decades of collaboration and friendship.
The former supermodel and the martial arts champion turned movie star formed a close bond as they teamed up as leading infomercial stars for the Total Gym exercise system. They built a genuine friendship after the cameras rolled, as evidenced by Brinkley’s message.
Christie Brinkley Shared Her True Feelings About Chuck Norris
On March 20, Christie Brinkley took to Instagram to share her heartfelt thoughts on her longtime professional partnership with Chuck Norris and the personal friendship they built over more than two decades of working together.
Brinkley’s lengthy message was heartfelt and true to their close bond.
She wrote, “For 25 years Chuck Norris and I were partners in The Total Gym. Bringing me on board was his idea… and I’m forever grateful to have been a part of such a successful enterprise.”
“And we had lots of fun along the way, shooting in a variety of vacation hot spots around the country. His beautiful wife Gena, would accompany him and sometimes jump on and exercise too.”
“He was often on the phone with his family who seemed to run all kinds of productions and businesses for him. He was a real family man,” she revealed.
Brinkley added that between takes, the crew would often ask Norris to tell them stories about working with martial arts legend Bruce Lee. They would also laugh at the many jokes made about the karate champion’s strength and prowess.
The former supermodel concluded, “We often joked about the fact that I was a delegate for Al Gore and he was George Bush’s pick as his favorite celebrity. We’d say we don’t agree politically, but we can both agree on the Total Gym. Actually… Chuck Norris was a Total GEM… of a sweet human being. To his family that he was so proud of, I’m sending my heartfelt sympathy and love.”
Brinkey’s fans added their sympathies in the post’s comments section.
“Thank you for this kind testament to Chuck Norris, or as my brother and I used to say, ‘Chuck Norris, A Force of One!’ Love you both over the years,” wrote one Instagram user.
A second fan penned, “I thought of you as soon as I heard the sad news. Such a lovely man, and you both made such a gorgeous duo. Thinking of everyone who was lucky enough to know him.”
How Long Did Chuck Norris’ Total Gym Ads Run on TV?
According to the Total Gym website, Chuck Norris partnered with the company beginning in 1996. Brinkley was added at the same time as spokespersons for the product.
The website says, “In 1996, Total Gym CEO Tom Campanaro sealed a deal with American Telecast Products (ATP) to produce the first Total Gym infomercial, featuring spokespersons Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley. Beginning in an empty Los Angeles warehouse, Total Gym emerged and became the longest-running fitness infomercial in history.”
Thus far, the series of ads have been broadcast in more than 85 countries.
Chuck Norris passed away on March 20 at the age of 86.
