She was educated at Le Lycée Francais de Los Angeles and worked in Paris as an entry level illustrator.

In 1976 she signed a twenty-year contract with Cover Girl, the longest model contract ever. She appeared on the cover of three consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues (1979-1981).

She has been married four times: her first three marriages were to Jean-François Allaux (1973-1981), Billy Joel (1985-1994) and Richard Taubman (1994-1995). Her current husband is Peter Cook, an architect, whom she married in 1996.

She has three children: a son by Taubman, one daughter, Alexa Ray, by Joel and another daughter, Sailor Lee, by Cook.