Cindy and Richard’s marriage broke down because of their 17-year age gap but she credits him with teaching her a lot about the world.
New Delhi:
47-year-old supermodel Cindy Crawford has revealed her first marriage to the Arbitrage actor, Richard Gere, 63, was a great chapter in her life.
Cindy has been happily married to Rande Gerber since 1998, with whom she shares son Presley, 13, and 11-year-old daughter Kaia.
She told 'Oprah's Master Class': "I just think your twenties, for women, is such a time when you're starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength, and it's hard to do that - it's hard to change - in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you're not that anymore.
"I think I was more willing at 22 to be, like, 'Okay, I'll follow,' but then you start going, 'Well, I don't want to just follow - I want to lead sometimes and I want to walk side by side sometimes."
Cindy revealed she doesn't view the marriage as a complete failure.
She explained: "Richard's a super smart guy, and he's interesting, and he's interested, and I learned a lot about the world. It was a great chapter in my life."
She also claims the actor taught her a lot about the importance of having a private life.
She said: "Being a nice girl fro the Midwest, my inclination is always to give and say yes because I want people to like me. But then I saw Richard do it in a way that was like, 'You know what? Sorry, I'm not doing that. But I see you.' He felt it was really just about making that connection, looking someone in the eyes and making sure that they felt seen."
Cindy has been happily married to Rande Gerber since 1998, with whom she shares son Presley, 13, and 11-year-old daughter Kaia.
She told 'Oprah's Master Class': "I just think your twenties, for women, is such a time when you're starting to come into your own and feel your own power and connect to your inner strength, and it's hard to do that - it's hard to change - in a relationship, because what one person might have signed up for, all of a sudden, you're not that anymore.
"I think I was more willing at 22 to be, like, 'Okay, I'll follow,' but then you start going, 'Well, I don't want to just follow - I want to lead sometimes and I want to walk side by side sometimes."
Cindy revealed she doesn't view the marriage as a complete failure.
She explained: "Richard's a super smart guy, and he's interesting, and he's interested, and I learned a lot about the world. It was a great chapter in my life."
She also claims the actor taught her a lot about the importance of having a private life.
She said: "Being a nice girl fro the Midwest, my inclination is always to give and say yes because I want people to like me. But then I saw Richard do it in a way that was like, 'You know what? Sorry, I'm not doing that. But I see you.' He felt it was really just about making that connection, looking someone in the eyes and making sure that they felt seen."
