Everything to Know About Hunter McGrady, Returning 2025 SI Swimsuit Model

The 2024 cover star returns to SI Swimsuit for the 2025 issue with a stunning feature from Switzerland.

Hunter McGrady was photographed by Derek Kettela in Switzerland. Swimsuit by Sienna Swim. Googles from Blenders. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

SI Swimsuit legend Hunter McGrady returns to the fold for the 2025 issue and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her back. Since launching her career, the 31-year-old Los Angeles, Calif. native has broken barriers as a plus-size model and even created her own size-inclusive clothing brand, All Worthy. She made her debut with the magazine in 2017 with her gorgeous shoot in Anguilla and followed that up with a return to the franchise nearly every year since. In 2024, she served as one of the cover stars for the 60th anniversary.

The body positivity and mental health advocate was initiated into the 2024 class of SI Swimsuit Legends with an unforgettable feature alongside 26 other brand icons who have shaped the magazine into what it is today. For the 2025 magazine, McGrady poses in Switzerland with photographer Derek Kettela for another amazing shoot.

Though readers will have to wait until closer to the magazine release in May to see McGrady’s full gallery of images, we are sharing a sneak peek through her first official pic from Switzerland:

Hunter McGrady was photographed by Derek Kettela in Switzerland. Swimsuit by Sienna Swim. Goggles by Blenders. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Follow along with the SI Swimsuit Instagram account and reveals page for more behind the scenes looks from McGrady’s day on set. In the meantime, let’s get to know the incredible model, entrepreneur, mom of two and wife.

McGrady’s trailblazing career

McGrady’s modeling career began when she was 15 years old, though at that time, she was going out for straight-size gigs and was told she needed to lose weight. “I would desperately work out for hours and eat few calories per day, HOPING I could fit the bill,” she recalled in an Instagram post. It wasn’t until a few years later that she learned about the plus-size modeling industry and was signed to the agency Wilhelmina.

In the years since, she became the first plus-size model to appear on the cover of a bridal magazine and one of the first curvy models to walk the runway during New York Fashion Week. In 2019, she declared that she would not attend any fashion shows that weren’t inclusive. And, as mentioned, she launched her own size-inclusive clothing line, All Worthy, selling sizes XXS - 5X. The name comes from a hashtag she previously created, serving as a reminder that people of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds are worthy of love.

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A post shared by Hunter McGrady (@huntermcgrady)

In addition to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, McGrady has appeared in magazines such as Glamour, Teen Vogue and The New York Times and has worked with brands like Olay, Lane Bryant and Nordstrom. She is also the cohost of the podcast Model Citizen, along with her sister and fellow model Michaela McGrady.

Her SI Swimsuit journey

McGrady has traveled to some of the most beautiful locations with SI Swimsuit over the years. After her very first feature in 2017 with photographer Josie Clough, she returned to the fold in 2018 for a special “In Her Own Words” series with Taylor Ballantyne in New York, in 2019 with James Macari in Costa Rica, in 2020 with Yu Tsai in Bali, in 2022 with Tsai again in Belize and finally in 2024 for two photo shoots. One saw her travel to Mexico for a solo feature and the other took place in Hollywood, Fla. for the Legends shoot, both with Tsai.

Landing the cover in 2024 was a major career highlight for McGrady, who described the moment as “one of [her] greatest.”

“Sports Illustrated was my first really big [job] and they’ve seen me through so much,” she said while on set for her cover shoot. “They’ve seen me through so much growth. They’ve seen me through marriage. They’ve seen me through two pregnancies, and they’ve continued to love me ever since. They’ve continued to accept me and never ask me to change, which is, I think, the most special thing.”

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A post shared by Hunter McGrady (@huntermcgrady)

As a passionate advocate for body acceptance, McGrady hopes that her journey inspires others.

“I hope that women everywhere know that they are so much more than their size, than their body, than the way that they look,” she told us at the 2024 magazine launch party. “They have a story to tell. We all do. And I hope that people see themselves in this cover [and] in each of these covers, because when you see it, you can be it.”

Welcome back to SI Swimsuit, Hunter McGrady!