Gayle King, aged 69, from CBS Mornings, graces the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover for the first time
It’s that time of year again – the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has arrived, featuring four cover models. Three of them, Kate Upton, Hunter McGrady, and Chrissy Teigen, are returning veterans, while the fourth, at 69, is a newcomer who used her photoshoot to show that age is just a number.
When Gayle King of CBS Mornings was first approached to be part of the 60th-anniversary edition of the Swimsuit Issue, she initially thought it was a prank.
“This wasn’t something I ever imagined,” King shared with People, “but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my career because I never thought it was even possible.”
Before accepting, King sought advice from a few trusted people in her life.
“I checked with my inner circle – my daughter Kirby, my son Will, and Oprah,” she explained. “Oprah said, ‘We have different ideas of fun,’ but also added, ‘This seems like something you’d enjoy.’ Kirby and Will were both like, ‘Go for it!’”
Once she decided to go through with the photoshoot she set a few ground rules. She wasn’t going to starve herself and she didn’t want any retouching of her photos, except for “a few dimples on her thighs.”
“My grandmother said to me [when I was little], ‘Mother nature was not as kind to you as she was to other little girls. Maybe you need to start wearing makeup.’ I just never saw myself this way.”
She added, “I know what I look like before I go into hair and makeup, so it’s hard for me to go from that to [the cover]. That’s something I have to process myself.”
King had nothing to worry about.
When she arrived at the photo shoot in Mexico, she said photographer Yu Tsai made her feel like “Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry all rolled into one.”
“I felt so comfortable and cared for that I didn’t even have time to feel self-conscious.”
“I never in a million years thought I would be standing here in a bathing suit for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit], but here I am, which says to me that sometimes people can dream, God can dream, the universe can dream a bigger dream than you can ever think for yourself,” King told Sports Illustrated. “I would have never thought this was possible. This was nowhere on my bucket list. So I’m thinking maybe it was a dream that I didn’t even know I wanted because now that I’m here, I want it bad.”
Gayle looks amazing! I think it’s wonderful how Sports Illustrated showcases all different ages, body types, and races in their issue. We’re not all the same, and everyone deserves to be represented.
