American model Kate Upton is on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. The 24-year-old model announced the news during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Upton made her first Sports Illustrated appearance in 2011, when she was named the magazine's Rookie of the Year. She appeared on the cover issue of the Swimsuit edition the following year and in 2013. She has three different cover photos this year.
Upton told the publication: "I was very excited when [SI Swimsuit editor] MJ [Day] asked me to be back in the issue. Especially when this year's theme is about every woman of every age and every body type being accepted. It was inspiring to be asked to be a part of that issue."
The 2017 SI Swimsuit Covers have been revealed. Welcome back, @KateUpton! Follow the link for more photos and video https://t.co/4cszjybbVp pic.twitter.com/y7TguJdPVD
— SI Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) February 15, 2017
"For me, it was MJ's passion for having it be this theme and this issue and that's why I wanted to be a part of this magazine again. Those are the campaigns I want to do and the career I want to have — to inspire women to love themselves. That's a balance of working hard and eating healthy but also enjoying life and having cheat days and for the emphasis not to be on the ideal perfect body. It makes me proud to be asked back," she added.
