'Life Doesn’t Stop When You Become A Certain Age': Kathy Jacobs, 57, Dishes On Being The Oldest 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit' Model
For Kathy Jacobs, age is truly just a number.
At 57 years old, the model has become the oldest women to appear in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit — a feat she still has trouble processing.
"It’s a dream come true. It doesn’t even feel real. I’m going to believe it when I actually see the photos in the magazine," she told Fox News. "That’s when it’s really going to hit me. But I’m happy. I haven’t stopped smiling."
The star didn't achieve her fit figure overnight. In fact, at one point in her life, she was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol, which prompted her to cut down on sugar, pasta and bread.
Though the health woes were scary, "the good news is that I actually lost weight and I’m a lot healthier," she said.
Jacobs revealed that women are always asking her about her workout secrets, but she insisted that "when I cut out all that bread, pasta, cheese, rice and white potatoes, my stomach gets flatter. Of course, I’m no dietician. But it has worked for me."
Her confidence is what helped her snag the gig with SI Swimsuit, as she attended a casting call when she was 56, which is much older than the magazine's usual models.
"I feel like it’s a stamp of approval not just for me, but for all the women my age out there," she said of being photographed. "Being able to represent a lady in my age range is such a huge honor. At our age, we don’t have to hide."
"Life doesn’t stop when you become a certain age. So I feel like being in this magazine not only helps other women my age but younger girls too," she shared. "Everyone’s so terrified about getting older. I’ve had so many younger girls message me and say, 'Thank you so much for doing this because I’m not terrified of getting older anymore. I know my life is not going to end once I reach 30, 40, 50 or 60.'"
"Being in this magazine is really a ripple effect," Jacobs insisted. "It allows people my age to feel beautiful, to feel sexy. It gives us that stamp of approval to feel beautiful and sexy."
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit will be available on July 20.