Martha Stewart, 81, graces Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover and makes history as its oldest model

Martha Stewart has made history as the oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model ever on Monday. 

Stewart, the longtime author, lifestyle expert and 81-year-old media personality, reflected on the distinction. 

"When I heard that I was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought, Oh, that's pretty good, I'm going to be the oldest person I think ever on a cover of Sports Illustrated," Stewart told the magazine. "And I don't think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic."

She was photographed in the Dominican Republic by Ruven Afanador and appeared in dozens of photos. She said Monday morning on the "Today" show that she liked the picture and admitted to "shaking" before the reveal on the show.

"It's odd to go to an island and then get changed into nine different bathing suits in one day in front of all those people, and it turned out okay," she said. 

Stewart said it was a "challenge" to don the cover at her age, but she feels like she met it and called the photo shoot "fun." 

"For me, it is a testament to good living and I think that all of us should think about good, successful living and not aging," she said during the Today interview.

Stewart dethrones Elon Musk's mother Maye Musk, then 74, for the oldest cover model in the history of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Stewart is among four cover models who are being featured, including actors Megan Fox and Brooks Nader and singer Kim Petras.