Martha Stewart, 81, becomes oldest Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model ever

American television personality Martha Stewart once said, “There is no single recipe for success. But there is one essential ingredient: Passion.”

The 81-year-old lifestyle guru certainly brought the passion to Sports Illustrated as part of her newly revealed Swimsuit Issue cover. Stewart, who unveiled the cover in a Today show appearance on Monday, made history as the oldest model ever to be on the front of the annual Swimsuit Issue.

Stewart cheekily told the Today show hosts that she likes the picture of herself in a plunging white one-piece bathing suit, paired with a flowy orange cover-up.

“I’m sort of shaking,” Stewart said, visibly excited about the cover reveal. “It’s odd to go to an island and change into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people, and it turned out OK.”

“When I heard that I was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought, Oh, that’s pretty good, I’m going to be the oldest person I think ever on a cover of Sports Illustrated,” Stewart told the magazine.

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She added: “I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic.”

Stewart said she wanted to be photographed for the cover to prove that women can look and feel good at any age.

The photos were taken by Ruven Afanador in the Dominican Republic on location at the Casa de Campo Resort & Villas. Stewart modelled 10 different swimsuits including a low-cut red halter swimsuit, a tan one-piece and a trendy metallic black-and-silver suit with a zipper.

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Stewart is one of four celebrities to be named a cover star for 2023. Actor Megan Fox, pop singer Kim Petras and model Brooks Nader will also appear on the cover of their own Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this year.