Katie Austin penned a loving tribute to her mother and “best friend,” Denise Austin, as the health and fitness expert celebrated her 68th birthday.
Katie posted the sweet tribute to her mom on Instagram on Thursday, Feb. 13. Her 20-part Instagram carousel contained a series of photos spanning the 31-year-old influencer’s lifetime, from her early days posing with Denise for cover stories with Working Mother and Woman’s World to more recent photoshoots for Women’s Health and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
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“How fun is it that I get to go through this crazy life with YOU as my mom, best friend, work partner, mentor, travel buddy, and neighbor?!” Katie wrote in her Instagram caption. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY @deniseaustin thank you for leading the way and being an example of being an ICON yet the best mom ever- AND being gracious & kind throughout it all. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!”
Katie concluded the tribute by urging her fans and followers to send her mother birthday wishes, which many subsequently did as they left comments on the post.
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“Happiest of Birthdays to the OG workout queen @deniseaustin ! You are goals 🙌🏼,” one fan wrote as another revealed that Denise remains their “literal icon for life” before adding, “She is amazing and deserves the best birthday ever! ❤️🎉🎂💜🍰🩷.”
“She just doesn’t age!” a third fan declared. “Happy birthday!🎂.”
Denise posted a message of her own on her birthday as she reflected on “feeling SO GRATEFUL to be celebrating another year.” She accompanied the message with a video of herself dancing as she enjoyed another trip around the sun.
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“I truly am so blessed to be healthy…happy…and feel so LOVED!!” Denise wrote. “Celebrating the gift of life!!! I’ve never felt better and I don’t take one second of this incredible life for granted…I can’t wait to see what this year brings!!! It’s funny.. and wonderful.. that I still feel like I’m only getting started!!!”
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