The 81-year-old lifestyle guru said she was one of several celebrities to front the iconic 2023 annual magazine edition, which saw her model a white Monday Swimwear one-piece.
Stewart said on the “Today” show where she shared the news: “I like that picture.”
She said she was “sort of shaking” during the shoot, adding it was “odd” to be photographed in swimwear “in front of all those people”, but she felt it “turned out okay”.
The chef was photographed by Ruven Afanador in the Dominican Republic for the shoot, sporting 10 elegant swimsuits including a sassy red Norma Kamali one-piece and a lace-up maillot by Isa Boulder.
She said in a chat with the magazine: “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’.
“And I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic. Age is not the determining factor in terms of friendship or in terms of success, but what people do, how people think, how people act, that’s what’s important and not your age.”
Before the shoot, Stewart had become renowned for sharing sultry selfies online, and last year released merchandise printed with some of her snaps.
She told “Page Six Style” in February about her secrets to taking perfect selfies: “Work your best angles and project the jaw to look up towards the camera. “Also, make sure you are optimising lighting.”
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