Martha Stewart Talks SI Swimsuit Cover and Her Longtime Role Model

On a recent episode of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ she revealed her No. 1 inspiration.

Martha Stewart.Sean Zanni/Getty Images

We think it’s fair to assume that everyone knows by now, but in case you don’t, the incredible Martha Stewart made history as the oldest woman to grace the cover of the SI Swimsuit issue with her 2023 feature.

Recently, she was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where the topic of conversation, of course, revolved around her popular cover image and who “influence[d] her attitude about aging,” as Clarkson put it.

“Why now?” Clarkson asked Stewart regarding the timing of her history-making photoshoot. “I wonder,” the businesswoman quipped in response. “They never asked me before. I would’ve done it when I was 40, I looked great at 40.”

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A post shared by The Kelly Clarkson Show (@kellyclarksonshow)

But, as Clarkson noted, she looks really great at 82 as well (and at 81, of course, when the photos were taken). When asked about her attitude about aging, and what influenced her in that regard, Stewart’s answer was clear: her mom.

“Mom was great, Mom was beautiful and with it and totally alert and intelligent,” she said of her inspiration. “She raised six kids and she was great until the day she passed away at 93. She was fantastic. She was swimming every day. She was an amazing woman.”

Stewart’s mother was a “very, very good role model,” according to the television personality. While we never got to know her mom, knowing Stewart, we’re sure her mother was everything that she said of her and more.

And while her cover photo was certainly incredible, we would say the same of every single one of her photos from her photoshoot in the Dominican Republic.

Martha Stewart was photographed by Ruven Afanador in the Dominican Republic.

Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

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