Martha Stewart is at it again! In a historic first, the lifestyle businesswoman is gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 81.
Martha shared the cover on the Today show on May 15, 2023, and she told the show's hosts that getting ready for the shoot was pretty nerve-wracking. As Martha explained, "I'm sort of shaking because it's odd to go to an island and get changed into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people. I like that picture. … And it turned out okay!"
She also shared that she was asked to do the cover back in November 2022, and the shoot took place in late January 2023. As Martha continued, "That was kind of a request that I've never had before. To be on the cover at my age was a challenge. And I think I met the challenge."
Martha also stuck to the basics to prepare. She said, "I didn't starve myself, but I didn't eat any bread or pasta for a couple of months. I went to Pilates every other day and that was great; I'm still going to Pilates every other day 'cause it's so great. And I just, I live a clean life anyway — good diet and good exercise and healthy skincare and all of that stuff."
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Martha also reflected on aging, adding, "I think all of us should think about good living, successfully living, and not aging. The whole aging thing is so boring. You know what I mean? I have a hospital called the Center for Living at Mt. Sinai. I started this hospital with Mt. Sinai and it's all about growing old gracefully. We don't think about aging, we think about successful living and we try to install in people the desire to eat well, exercise well, have friends to have pets — to do all the things that make you happy as you get older. So that's what I'm all about."
Martha also spoke to People about the shoot and added more details about what it took to make it happen. As she shared, "I did Pilates three, maybe four times a week and did not have a drink — no alcohol whatsoever for two months. I also got a spray tan a couple days before the shoot, which isn't something I usually do. It's nice when you're down in that azure water. I got a light tan, and it was very pretty, very natural. I'm very pleased with the pictures, I really am."
When it came to deciding what to wear, Martha said that she was game for anything. "I tried on all the bathing suits and outfits the night before the shoot, and there were so many things to try on. You have to throw modesty out the window because they're prodding you and pulling and straightening — so I had to grin and bear it."
She also admitted to wanting the photos to be sexy. Martha said, "I don't like caftans. They're very glamorous shots. Probably like any of the models, I would have preferred if I could have worn a really skimpy bikini, but at my age, wearing what I was wearing was appropriate. They're not cover-up bathing suits, though, I don't like those."
