Christie Brinkley's daughter, Sailor, will replace her on season 28 ofDancing with the Stars
Christie Brinkley knew as soon as she hit the studio floor that she was never going to be able to step out on the Dancing with the Stars stage and show off all her hard work
In fact, the model told PEOPLE exclusively in an emotional interview on Monday that she knew immediately that her arm was broken.
“The second I landed, I felt the shards in my arm,” Christie, 65, told PEOPLE in between sobs. “Like, I literally felt it in my wrist, and I just instantly looked up and said, ‘I’m so sorry, I broke my arm.'”
“There’s a little bone at the thumb that usually posts one way,” she added. “Mine was in the opposite direction. Then there was bone, just it, it was just shattered into a thousand little pieces, just a million of little pieces.”
Christie has a long road to recovery after falling during a DWTS rehearsal on Thursday. The fall left the supermodel with multiple broken bones, which required surgery to insert a plate and screws to repair her shattered arm. She also dislocated her wrist and, on top of that, had already twisted her ankle earlier in practice.
After undergoing surgery on Friday, the star — who has previously survived a horrific helicopter crash and also a serious horse and car accident — remains on heavy pain killers.
Aside from the physical injury, Christie is also dealing with the emotional fallout of not being able to compete.
“I’m telling you I was having the time of my life,” she told PEOPLE.
“So it was really, really a crushing, crushing disappointment in every way. Literally, figuratively everything that happened. And one of the worst feelings is to feel like you’re letting anybody down, you know?”