Sports Illustrated Cover Model Discusses Finding God: ‘Jesus Was Nothing Like I Thought’

Kathy Ireland, the former Sports Illustrated Cover Model and now Entrepreneur, opened up about her journey in Faith and how a late-night session with a Bible from her mother turned her toward God after a childhood of disbelief.

Ireland spoke in an interview with Fox News Digital about her momentous experience reading a Bible that her mother had stowed away in the model’s suitcase for a long flight to Paris. She said, “It was during a really lonely time in Paris, jet lag and loneliness, middle of the night that I opened up that Bible.”

As a child, Ireland said that she didn’t fully believe in God and thought that nobody really knew all of the answers and had the ability to differentiate right from wrong. Through reading the Bible that night, she finally found God and is still holding strong in her Faith, even to this day.

She continued, “I didn’t know how to read it. And I was a rebellious teenager questioning who really knows the truth, who really knows what’s right or wrong. And as I read, I just knew that what I was holding in my hands was the truth and my life forever changed.”

For Ireland, finding God in a time when she was alone without the influence of others was the best thing that could have happened. With just herself and a Bible, she was able to form her own thoughts and search deeply to find out who Jesus really is.

She said, “I was alone in that room, so nobody was telling me, be this denomination or that denomination. It was just, I want to follow Him. And that changed everything for me because at that moment, Jesus became my lord and savior. And I knew if He’s with me, who could be against me?”

That strength that she has derived from knowing that she is no longer alone in her battles has propelled to to a life of fame and fortune, but that doesn’t seem to be the most important thing that she has gained. Through that fateful day, at 18 years old, Ireland found everlasting peace with God.

Ireland has also found great marital advice and a completely difference sense of importance around the concept of marriage. She said, “Marriage is not a contract. It’s not a piece of paper. It’s not a contract with the government. It’s a covenant with God. So, on those days when we might not feel like loving each other very well, we also made a promise to God. So, that really helps us.”

Ireland went on in the interview to discuss the changes that she has seen in recent years in the modeling industry. Mainly, she focused on the growing diversity, in contrast to the “sameness” that she felt all models seemed to have back in the day. While some miss the days of models all striving to meet the beauty standards of Kathy Ireland, she seems content to see the landscape of the industry continue to change and evolve.