Martha Stewart makes history with swimsuit cover, but here's a dark fact about her past

The TV icon and cookbook writer has said her cover is 'kind of historic', as she is the oldest model to be represented of the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine, and especially since she is only wearing swimsuits.

According to MJ Day, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editor in chief, this year's edition is a display of four different covers, which aim at representing powerful women who 'live in a world where they feel no limitations, internally or externally'. The other three women on the Sports Illustrated covers are actress Megan Fox, model Brooks Nader, and musician Kim Petras.

Martha Stewart is the oldest Sports Illustrated cover model ever

The American star said in an interview about her cover, that she immediately felt excited to be the oldest cover model for the magazine.

When I heard that I was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought: ‘Oh, well that’s pretty good.’ I’m gonna be the oldest person, I think, ever on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

And I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic and that I better look really good.

The oldest cover model for Sports Illustrated before Stewart had been Elon Musk's mother, model Maye Husk, when she posed to the cover at the age of 74 in 2022. Martha Stewart took advantage of this opportunity to tell her followers that it is never too late to pursue your dreams, and to always keep challenging yourself, no matter your age.

I hope this cover inspires you to challenge yourself to try new things, no matter what stage of life you are in.

Read more:Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine makes history with new cover

Martha Stewart spent some time behind bars

Martha Stewart rose to fame in the 1980s, when she started writing cookbooks and appearing on television as a successful chef. Since then, she has written 99 books, and launched her own lifestyle magazine, lines of clothing, but also cooking and home products.

In the early 2000s, cookbook bestseller Martha Stewart had a run-in with the law. But the icon made a fast and successful come-back, to the point where most people don't even know she was incarcerated.

Back in 2001, 60-year-old Martha Stewart was caught insider trading. To put it simply, she sold her stocks because she had insider information that now was the right time to make the most money, which is illegal.

After a six-week trial in 2004, she was found guilty of felony charges including lying to investigators, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to obstruct. She was then sentenced to five months in prison, and two years of supervised release, with five months of electronic monitoring. She was also fined $30,000.

In a 2017 podcast with Katie Couric, the chef looked back on her time in prison, and said it was a horrifying experience.

It was horrifying, and no one — no one — should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories. But no one should have to go through that. It’s a very, very awful thing.

Read more:These are highest paid American models and their salaries are eye-watering

Sources used:

Sports Illustrated: Your Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2023 Cover Models Are Martha Stewart, Megan Fox, Kim Petras and Brooks Nader

Guardian: Martha Stewart, 81, becomes oldest Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model

HollywoodLife: Martha Stewart’s Time In Jail: Why She Went & What She’s Said About Her Prison Sentence

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