Martha Stewart reacts to critics of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

‘I’ve had absolutely no plastic surgery whatsoever,’ Stewart said

Martha Stewart has responded to the “few naysayers” who have criticised her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover.

Earlier this week, the 81-year-old businesswoman and TV personality made history as the oldest cover star of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

After the cover went live, some fans began to question how youthful Stewart appeared, and accused the publication of “over-touching” Stewart’s images with airbrushing. Some people also accused her of getting cosmetic surgery.

Now, Stewart has responded to the allegations, saying: “They’re very good. There are only a few naysayers saying, ‘The pictures are over-retouched.’ But they’re not.

“They are incredibly accurate pictures. I was really pleased that there was not much airbrushing,” she told Variety.

Stewart also revealed that she had only two months to prepare for the shoot.

The food writer, who rose to fame in the Eighties with cookbooks including Entertaining (1982) and Martha Stewart’s Secrets for Entertaining (1988), reportedly went to Pilates three times a week, controlled her diet, and stopped consuming alcohol.

“I had my regular facials but maybe more frequently and I also got a spray tan,” Stewart said. “And I’m not a hairy person, but I got a complete body wax.”

(Sports Illustrated)

When asked about being accused of “getting work done to look so good”, Stewart said: “Well, it’s not true. I’ve had absolutely no plastic surgery whatsoever.

“I have very healthy, good hair. I drink green juice every day. I take my vitamins. I eat very healthfully. I have very good skin doctors. I’m very careful in the sun. I wear hats and I wear sunblock every single day.”

For the photo shoot, Stewart travelled to the Dominican Republic, where she was photographed in 10 swimwear looks by Ruven Afanador.

As for how she prepared for the shoot, which she described as a “challenge” at her age, Stewart told the hosts of the Today Show on Monday (15 May) that she didn’t eat bread or pasta for a “couple months”.

Stewart also revealed that there are “no tricks” during the photo shoot. “There’s no tricks, actually. No tricks. They tell you you look okay, that’s nice. They sort of reinforce that it’s okay to be doing what you’re doing,” she said.

Stewart launched her latest venture, an original podcast in collaboration with iHeart Radio, in June last year, and has hosted guests including rapper Snoop Dogg and director Ryan Murphy.