Christy Turlington Reacts to Her Daughter Modeling: ‘I Told Her to Stay Far Away from That’ (Exclusive)

The supermodel's daughter, Grace Burns, made her runway debut at a fashion show in Florence, Italy, in June 2023

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Published on June 8, 2024 01:00PM EDT

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 12: Christy Turlington Burns and Grace Burns attend W Magazine 50th Anniversary presented By Lexus at Shun Lee on October 12, 2022 in New York City. — Christy Turlington and her daughter, Grace Burns, in 2022. Photo:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Christy Turlington’s daughter Grace Burns has been following in her mother’s footsteps on runways and in magazines — despite the supermodel's initial wishes against it.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE on Friday, June 7, at the New York City luncheon for Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women’s Filmmaker Program, Turlington revealed what advice she gave her 20-year-old daughter about modeling.

“I told her to stay far away from that,” Turlington, 55, said.

"But she’s actually a storyteller, and I have a little bit of that in my work, too, as an advocate," she continued, seemingly referring to Grace’s recently released poetry book, Derived from Us.

“So in that sense, very excited, love her academic pursuits,” Turlington added. “The other part was a little harder to be excited about.”

Christy Turlington Burns and Grace Burns at the Kering Foundation Caring for Woman Dinner on September 12, 2023 in New York, New York — Christy Turlington and Grace Burns in September 2023.
Lexie Moreland/getty

Grace, who is one of Turlington and filmmaker Edward Burns’ two children, made her runway debut at the British Vogue X LuisaViaRoma show in Florence, Italy, in June 2023.

That year, the mother-daughter duo also appeared in a Carolina Herrera campaign.

Unlike her mother, who started modeling at age 14, Grace entered the industry later in life.

“I was officially allowed to begin modeling at 18; that was the age my mom always had in mind, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Grace told HOMMES Magazine in 2022.

“I remember denying the interest to anyone and everyone because I hadn’t yet told her,” she added. “However, I’d longed to be 18 for some time. My first job was last January, after my birthday, after I had gotten into college.”

Grace, who balances modeling while attending the New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study, has appeared in Perfect Magazine, MUSE Magazine and POP Magazine.

Christy Turlington and Grace Burns at the Front Row of the Fendi Spring 2023 fashion show at the Hammerstein Ballroom on September 9th, 2022 in New York City, New York — Christy Turlington and Grace Burns in September 2022.
Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty

Turlington, a headline speaker at the Tribeca Film Festival, was at Friday’s event to continue spreading awareness for maternal health and her non-profit Every Mother Counts, which she founded in 2010 after the release of her documentary film, No Woman, No Cry.

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“I premiered my documentary here 14 years ago,” Turlington said. “So I have a soft spot for this festival, and I love this lunch in particular because I get to meet so many people.”

Other celebrity guests at the luncheon included Kerry Washington, Joey King, Ella Rubin, Jane Rosenthal, Camila Mendes and Katie Holmes.