Kate Upton was named cover girl of the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
She appears topless on the issue’s three different covers. The announcement came Monday night during “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” She last appeared on the cover in 2012 and 2013, according to Sports Illustrated. (RELATED: Kate Upton Flaunts Her Figure In Insanely Revealing Red Carpet Gown)
WATCH:
“The 2017 SI Swimsuit Covers have been revealed. Welcome back, @KateUpton!” the official Sports Illustrated Swimsuit account tweeted.
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
“Wow, so honored and excited to be back with @SI_Swimsuit in an issue that celebrates beauty and confidence in all shapes & sizes!” Upton tweeted after the announcement.
Wow, so honored and excited to be back with @SI_Swimsuit in an issue that celebrates beauty and confidence in all shapes & sizes!#siswim17 https://t.co/lSPBtcK5Wo
— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) February 15, 2017
SI swimsuit editor MJ Day said originally they didn’t plan for three covers, but that Upton gave them so much material it was difficult to select just one shot.
“I was very excited when MJ asked me to be back in the issue,” Upton said. “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.”
“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,” she added. “Those are the campaigns I want to do and the career I want to have — to inspire women to love themselves.”