Kathy Ireland, 61, was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and pals with Elizabeth Taylor – see her now

Kathy Ireland flourished in the 1980s as the cover girl of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

The photogenic wonder also featured on many Cosmopolitan magazine covers.

And the California native was known as a fitness model who regularly posed for advertisements in cycling shorts and sports bras.

She is now a furniture magnate who has made a fortune in the business world thanks to her brand knowledge. Her company is now worth $3 billion.

The star – who is now reportedly worth $500 million – still looks fantastic today.

Ireland was a big supermodel in the eighties. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit three times.

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 50th anniversary event.

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, she also appeared on covers for Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Forbes.

Since then, she has become a design powerhouse.

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.

She was also close friends with Elizabeth Taylor, who gave her guidance in the business world.

Kathy’s other passion focuses on charity work and philanthropy.

This comes after she opened a second location for her Kathy Ireland Recover Center in 2021.

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.”