Supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur Iman has had many happy days in her life, but the one that ranks highest was “when I met my husband,” she told Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview. “We both had been married before, we both were at the right place in our lives to meet, and we fell in love.”

Her husband was, of course, music icon David Bowie. They were married from 1992 until his death in January 2016 from liver cancer at age 69. “We’ve had a hard couple of years,” she admitted at the Jay Manuel Beauty Retail Experience launch on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in NYC. Two months after David’s death, Iman’s mother also passed away. But she credits family with keeping her going.

“I have a 17-year-old,” Iman, 62, said of her and David’s daughter, Alexandria Jones. “So I’m fully immersed in that life now, trying to keep her safe and launch her out into adulthood.” She still mourns David but tries to focus on the good memories. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have Alexandria,” Iman — who has another daughter, Zulekha Haywood, 39, from a previous relationship — said. “I never thought of having another kid, but my life changed!”

She’s had another big change recently, too. “I’ve become a grandma,” she said. David’s son, Duncan Jones, had a baby boy, Stenton, last year, and Zulekha just had a baby. “Her name is Lavinia,” Iman shared. “This brings joy.”

Continuing to manage her businesses, Iman Cosmetics and Global Chic, has also kept her busy. But David is never far from her mind. “The world keeps his memory alive,” she said. “But with us, we feel he is around us all the time. Looking at his grandson, looking at his son. He’s with us.” She adds to Closer, “Falling in love with David changed my life.”