Sailor Brinkley Cook Says ‘of Course’ There Was Pressure Growing Up as the Daughter of a Supermodel

Even though Sailor Brinkley Cook admits Christie Brinkley has dished out some great advice about confidence and life in general, that doesn’t mean growing up with a supermodel as a mom was easy. It had its pros — but there were cons too.

“Definitely, of course,” Sailor, 21, told Closer Weekly and other reporters on the set of Dancing With the Stars season 28 on Monday, September 30, when asked if there was added pressure growing up as Christie’s daughter. The up-and-coming model is, of course, performing on the ABC series in place of the 65-year-old who had to step away after she broke her arm.

“Anyone who does something that their parents did before them feels that pressure, but I always say someone can open a door for you but it’s you who has to keep it open and, at the end of the day, no one cares who your parents are,” Sailor added. “No one cares who where you come from. It’s about the work that you put in and the attitude that you bring forward.”

Sailor — who has wowed audiences with a Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango and Cha-cha-cha thus far — also elaborated on how performing in the competition has improved the way she believes in herself.

“I grew up very insecure. I grew up very doubtful of myself in a lot of ways and I went into modeling. It’s the most challenging thing to take on as someone who is quite insecure,” Sailor noted. “But, you know, you find your way in it, you find your groove in it and I ended up loving it.”

“Showing up to rehearsal every day and being able to really work my body to the bone and really try and improve in a physical way and athletic way is so rewarding,” the famous kiddo added. “It also makes me feel a lot better about myself because I feel like a machine.”

Aside from being cheered on by mama Christie and dad Peter Cook — the two are no longer together — from the sidelines, Sailor also said she is getting love from sister Alexa Ray Joel (Christie’s daughter with ex-husband Billy Joel) and brother Jack Brinkley Cook (Christie’s son with ex-husband Richard Taubman) too. They’re “so supportive,” Sailor gushed.

“[Jack] actually texts me every single day because he knows how nervous I was about this and he’s the last person who would think that I would do this,” Sailor said. “He texts me saying every day, like, ‘I’m so proud of you. You’re killing it.’ [He] definitely reassures me that I’m doing something worth the time and worth the energy.”