Former supermodel Christie Brinkley and singer John Mellencamp have parted ways after one year of dating.
According to their rep, long-distance dating and career demands are to blame for the split.
“Both the mileage between their homes and their heavy career demands interfered with their ability to maintain the relationship,” their spokesperson tells People. “They vowed to remain best of friends.”
The 64-year-old “Jack & Diane” singer spent the spring on tour and, after a brief break, is set to resume touring shortly. Brinkley, 62, has been busy promoting Bellissima, her line of prosecco this summer.
RELATED: Christie Brinkley Launching Organic Prosecco Line From Italy
The pair began dating shortly after meeting at a party in the Hamptons last summer, bonding over their kids and their age. Brinkley has three children, Mellencamp has five kids plus six grandchildren.
“I know guys that go out with girls that are so, so young. They’ll throw some reference out, and they’re like, ‘What’s that?'” Brinkley told People earlier this year. “When it comes to relationships, there is something nice about just being the same age.”
“I thought, Oh my gosh, we’re really opposites. He’s kind of a throwback from another time, like a silent cowboy,” she said during the interview. “But then we talked and realized that we do have a lot of shared interests.”
At the time, Brinkley wasn’t making plans for the future, taking each day as they came. “John and I are two people that have very full lives. We’re just trying to enjoy each other when we can see each other and try not to put too much [pressure] on it.”
