Martha Stewart is Sports Illustrated’s newest Swimsuit cover model

>> AND NOW SHE’S EMBRACING HER MOST AGE DENYING ROLE OF ALL TIME. OKAY. WE CAN’T WAIT ANY LONGER AND NEITHER CAN MARTHA. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOU READY? >> READY. HIT IT. >> INTRODUCING THIS YEAR’S “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” SWIM SUIT COVER MODEL, MARTHA STEWART. >> OH! >> SEEING IT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. MARTHA, WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I LIKE THAT PICTURE. >> I WOULD THINK SO. >> I WOULD SAY LOVE. DO YOUR WANT TO COME OVER AND CHAT? >> SURE, I WOULD LOVE TO. I’M SORT OF SHAKING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT’S ODD TO GO

TO AN ISLAND AND THEN GET CHANGED INTO NINE DIFFERENT BATHING SUITS IN ONE DAY IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE AND IT TURNED OUT OKAY. >> IT TURNED OUT MORE THAN OKAY. JUST BACK UP A LITTLE BIT. SO “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” CALLS YOU UP AND SAYS, HEY, WE HAVE AN IDEA. >> IN NOVEMBER. I SAID IN THE END OF JANUARY, YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO POSE FOR THE COVER OF SPORT S”SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” ILLUSTRATED”. THAT WAS A KIND OF QUESTION I HAD NEVER HAD BEFORE. TO BE ON THE COVER AT MY AGE WAS A CHALLENGE. AND

I — I THINK I MET THE CHALLENGE. >> IN WHAT WAY? >> WELL, I DIDN’T STARVE MYSELF, BUT I DIDN’T EAT ANY BREAD OR PASTA FOR A COUPLE MONTHS.

I WENT TO PILATES EVERY OTHER DAY. AND THAT WAS GREAT. I’M STILL GOING TO PILATES EVERY OTHER DAY BECAUSE IT’S SO GREAT. AND I LIVE A CLEAN LIFE, ANYWAY. GOOD DIET AND GOOD EXERCISE AND HEALTH AND SKIN CARE AND ALL OF THAT STUFF. BUT IT WAS KIND OF FUN. >> I IMAGINE. I MEAN, LOOK, MARTHA, THIS IS INCREDIBLE. >> COME ON! >> I MEAN, THEY WERE PRODDING

ME AND PINCHING ME AND POURING WATER OVER MY HEAD. >> YEAH. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TRICKS AND STUFF THEY DO. >> THERE IS NO TRICKS, ACTUALLY. NO TRICKS. THEY TELL YOU YOU LOOK OKAY. I MEAN, THAT’S NICE. THEY SORT OF REINFORCE THAT IT’S OKAY TO BE DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING. >> YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND IT IS — FOR ME, IT IS A TESTAMENT TO GOOD LIVING. AND I THINK THAT ALL OF US SHOULD THINK ABOUT GOOD LIVING, SUCCESSFUL LIVING AND NOT ABOUT AGING. THE WHOLE AGING THING IS SO BORING.

>> HEAR HEAR. TALK ABOUT THAT. THAT’S IMPORTANT. >> WELL, I HAVE A HOSPITAL CALLED THE CENTER FOR LIVING AT MOUNT SIGHNY. I STARTED THIS HOSPITAL WITH MOUNT SIGH NOOI, AND IT IS ALL ABOUT GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY. AND WE DON’T THINK ABOUT AGING, WE THINK ABOUT SUCCESSFUL LIVING. >> YES. AND WE TRY TO INSTILL IN PEOPLE THE DESIRE TO EAT WELL, TO EXERCISE WELL, TO HAVE FRIENDS TORKS HAVE PETS, TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY AS YOU GET OLDER. SO THAT’S WHAT I’M ALL ABOUT. MY MOM WAS MY ROLE MODEL. I POSTED A

PICTURE OF HER YESTERDAY. AFTER FOUR KIDS SHE WAS STILL WEARING A TWO PIECE BATHING SUIT. >> NOW WE KNOW WHERE YOU GET THE GOOD GENES. >> SO, YOU KNOW, THAT’S PRETTY FABULOUS. SO MY GENES ARE GOOD. >> AND YOU LOOK GOOD IN JEANS. >> I WEAR JEANS ALL THE TIME. >> BUT IT HAD TO BE KIND OF SURREAL. I MEAN, TO BE THE SPORT S”SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” SWIM SUIT MODELS. >> MAYBE WITH SOME HEAVY, HEAVY RETOUCHING. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE SUPER INSPIRED BY THIS. >> I HOPE SO. I HOPE ALL WOMEN GET

IT TOGETHER. WOMEN HAVE GONE THROUGH A TOUGH TIME FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS AND RECENTLY WITH THE PANDEMIC AND THE ME TOO MOVEMENT AND ALL OF THAT STUFF, WE HAVE REALLY SORT OF BEEN BATTERED AROUND AND TAKING CARE OF THE FAMILIES, ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY, WORKING AT HOME. YOU KNOW, IT’S BEEN TOUGH. I HOPE IT DOES GIVE PEOPLE, WOMEN ESPECIALLY, AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT THEIR LIVES AND GET WITH THE PICTURE. >> ONE THING THAT THAT PICTURE SHOWS ME, IT’S BEAUTIFUL. BUT IT ALSO SHOWS CONFIDENCE. I FEEL LIKE CONFIDENCE CAN COME NO MATTER HOW YOU ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY

LOOK. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT THAT I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE CARRIED THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. THAT’S NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN JUST PICK UP LIKE THAT. >> NO. BUT I THINK YOU CAN INSTILL IT IN CHILDREN EARLY ON. MY DAD WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, MARTHA. JUST PUT YOUR MIND SO ITTO IT. GO TO THE LIBRARY AND READ AND READ AND EDUCATE YOURSELF. HE DIDN’T SAY GET EDUCATED. HE SAID EDUCATE YOURSELF AND LEARN. AND MY EARLY MODELING CAREER WAS REALLY HELPFUL. I MEAN, I WENT ON SATURDAYS TO MODEL,

AND THEN I STARTED DOING PHOTOGRAPHY AND TELEVISION COMMERCIALS. THAT PUT ME THROUGH COLLEGE. IT PAID FOR EVERYTHING. AND IT WAS VERY GOOD TO LEARN HOW TO POSE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA CAMERA. IT WAS A NICE JOB. >> RIGHT. >> AND YOU WENT FROM 50 CENTS AN HOUR BABY-SITTING TO $50 AN HOUR, YOU KNOW, POSING. IT WAS GREAT. >> THE OTHER THING ABOUT YOU, MARTHA, I WAS SITTING HERE LISTENING TO YOU, YOU ARE SO FEARLESS. SOMEONE SAYS, YOU ARE 81 YEARS OLD. HOW ABOUT YOU ARE GOING TO BE ON “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” IN YOUR SWIMMING SUIT.

A COUPLE YEARS AGO YOU WERE LIKE, I’LL TRY ONLINE DATING. OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT THINK, COULD I? I DON’T KNOW. >> NO, NO, NO. WHEN YOU’RE THROUGH CHANGING, YOU’RE THROUGH. THAT’S ONE OF MY MOTTOS. SO CHANGE IS VERY GOOD. EVOLUTION IS VERY GOOD. JUST TRYING NEW THINGS. BEING FEARLESS IS VERY GOOD. DON’T BE AFRAID. DON’T BE AFRAID OF ANYTHING. YEAH. >> THAT FEELS GOOD. >> MARTHA, THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> YOU LADIES ARE FABULOUS. >> WE’RE SO EXCITED YOU CAME HERE TO SHARE IT WITH US. YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL. YOU’RE ONE OF FOUR GRACING THE COVER OF

THIS YEAR’S SPORTS”SPOR ILLUSTRATED” SWIM SUIT ISSUE. LET’S SEE WHO YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY. HELLO. MEGAN FOX, BROOKS NADER. >> LOOK AT HOW GREAT WE ALL LOOK. >> HOT, HOT, HOT. THANK YOU, MARTHA. AND SPEAKING OF KIM, BY THE WAY, SHE WILL BE TAKING OVER THE PLAZA FOR A SUMMER CONCERT THIS MONTH. THANKS AGAIN. “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED” SWIM SUIT