Kathy Ireland, 61, says she is ‘grateful’ for get older as it brings ‘maturity’… after the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model became a billionaire mogul

Supermodel Kathy Ireland has spoken about her incredible life.

The 61-year-old beauty, who flourished as the cover girl of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in the 1980s, has become a huge product mogul.

She has a Fashion 360 line for HSN and her fragrance collection, as well as her licensing brand Kathy Ireland Worldwide and credit card processing company Ireland Pay.

The siren told People she is happy to be in her sixties.

“One of the things I like about getting older is maturity,” she emphasized. “I’ve just learned to enjoy adventure more, without fear, and I’m so grateful for that.”

And Kathy said becoming famous was an accident.

“It was never my plan; it surprised me. The look of that moment changed when I started in the ’80s.’

New these days models ask her for advice.

“I hesitate for many reasons to encourage anyone to go into that profession,” she said, adding that it is “an industry that can attract a lot of people of questionable character.”

Her mentor was Julie Campbell, founder and editor of Sports Illustrated Swimming Issue.

“She came from the sports world and it felt different from traditional fashion,” Ireland said.

‘Traditional fashion is beautiful, but from a sporting perspective it felt like camaraderie. And Julie really set the tone: it was food, enjoying the sun. I’ve watched her fight for the integrity of her brand, and in the process, I’ve had so many business lessons for me.”

She also discussed the “gift of rejection.”

“I certainly didn’t appreciate it at the time,” she noted.

“But it was powerful when we started our company and people would slam doors in my face or say things like, ‘Well, that’s a stupid idea.’ It didn’t destroy me or hold me back. “No” meant, “Now we’re talking and I’ll come back tomorrow and maybe your circumstances have changed.” Maybe then you’ll be in a better mood.’ ‘

She continues: ‘We can learn from criticism. We have to be humble enough to recognize that people will have good advice. They may not convey it in a gentle way, but we need to be able to hear it and pick it apart and discern whether we can learn something from it without letting it harden our hearts.”

This comes after she opened a second location for her Kathy Ireland Recover Center in August 2022.

The mother of three has dedicated herself to running her company Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which has a total turnover of $3.1 billion as of 2021. Her other passion is charity work and philanthropy.

Ireland was a major supermodel in the 1980s, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit three times and appearing in films. Since then, she has become a design powerhouse.

The entrepreneur opened her first recovery center in New Hampshire last year in 2021.

To continue providing assistance to those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues, Kathy opened an additional location in West Virginia.

The former supermodel posted a photo of herself posing next to a sign that read, “Kathy Ireland Recovery Centers.’

She added a caption to her post, explaining the purpose and announcing the official second opening.

‘Each of us is, wants or is involved in the war against addiction. It is not a health crisis that anyone can avoid in any form,” she typed. “We welcome everyone to the opening of Kathy Ireland Recovery Centers, Williamson.”

The official website states: ‘These rehabilitation programs are designed for individuals and families struggling with mental health issues and addictions.’

The mother of three also explained that “expanding our company’s advocacy in the areas of mental health and substance abuse has long been a top priority.”

For years, the philanthropist has been committed to helping people struggling with addiction and other health needs.

During an interview with USA today, Kathy talked about her other work with Let’s Talk Interactive, a telehealth solution to help people who need access to healthcare.

“It brings telemedicine to a lot of people,” she explained to the publication. “It’s all over the world, which is exciting.”

She also spoke about the war on the opioid crisis. during her interview with USA Today. “This is a battle that can be won. There is hope. There is a victory.’

Kathy has given much of her time and dedication to charities such as the March of Dimes, City of Hope and Feed the Children. Earlier this year, she also launched Music Funds The Cure for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

After her modeling days, Kathy became CEO of her own brand licensing company in 1993, which started with a basic pair of socks.

According to Todaynow the business magnate, “designs and sells some 17,000 products.”

When it comes to being successful in the industry, the author explained in the publication that some of the keys are, “viewing others as more important than yourself,” and, “whatever you give is all you get.”

At the age of 16, Kathy was scouted and soon after became a prominent face in the modeling world.

In addition to appearing on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover more than once, she has also appeared on covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Forbes.

Her 1989 Sports Illustrated cover became a top-selling magazine and was awarded the best Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover of all time at the magazine’s 5th anniversary event.