56-YEAR-OLD IS SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S LATEST STAR

Kathy Jacobs is not your average Sports Illustrated model. She’s only 1.6 metres tall and she’s 56 years old.

That’s right, she’s much shorter than your average model and decades older, but that certainly hasn’t stopped her from living her best life.

The Californian native was discovered during a nationwide search in the United States for fresh talent and the chance to appear in the magazine.

Jacobs, who has been married for 24 years and has a 23-year-old daughter, made it to the final round and eventually ended up in the magazine’s coveted Swimsuit Edition.

Other models who have made it big after appearing in the popular edition of the sports magazine include Tyra Banks, Ashley Graham and Kate Upton.

Speaking to Fox News, Jacobs thanked Sports Illustrated for being so inclusive.

“I’m here for the girls over 50 and I’m here for the petite girls. Because I just want to tell you something, the average height of a woman in America is 5 foot 4 inches [1.62 metres]. And when they say inclusive, they don’t include us shorties. They never include us. And finally, they’re including us. And I’m just so grateful to Sports Illustrated for including us.”

The magazine has done a lot for women of different backgrounds over the years, and have made waves by including Paralympian amputee Brenna Huckaby, transgender model Valentina Sampaio, and Halima Aden – the first ever Hijab model to grace the cover of the popular swimsuit edition.

Watch the ET Canada video below for an interview with the 56-year-old model.

Image credits: Chicago Sun Times and Manzil News.