The Story Behind the Famous SI Swimsuit Image of Kate Upton That Almost Ended Her Photo Shoot Early

The three-time SI Swimsuit Issue cover model proved her professionalism after taking a spill in 2018.

Kate Upton is a veteran of the SI Swimsuit franchise. The three-time cover model made her magazine debut in 2011, when she was named Rookie of the Year. 

Upton earned back-to-back covers immediately following her debut, after being photographed in Australia (’12) and Antarctica (’13). The model went on to land her third cover in ’17, after posing in Fiji.

The 30-year-old model’s 2018 photo shoot in Aruba with photographer Yu Tsai was certainly one for the books. You may recall a breathtaking image in which Upton stood atop a rock wearing only a gauzy skirt with waves crashing behind her. 

What you may not know, however, is that Upton did just about anything for The Little Mermaid-inspired snapshot—including nearly getting swept away by the wave! 

“We found this beautiful cove to shoot at for the afternoon,” Upton recollected at the time. “And there was this huge rock in the middle of the water that they wanted me to climb on.”

“The vision for the photo was definitely a hero shot, you know the long skirt with all the tulle flowing in the wind with the water coming up,” Upton explained. “Very The Little Mermaid. And I really saw the vision for the photo, but as I climbed on the rock, I did look out and was like, ‘This is going to end badly.’”

As Upton struck her pose atop the rock with only her hands covering her chest, a wave crashed in and sent the model plummeting into the water. Luckily, a member of the Swim Team rushed in at the right moment and kept Upton from getting seriously hurt. While she did tumble into the water, she emerged with a smile.

Upton later reflected on the moment when she was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 

“It was really scary,” she told Fallon. “And you know, that moment when the wave hit, I lost all control.”

The model also laughed about not being concerned about exposing herself as she fell into the water. 

“Whenever it’s life of death, you free the nipple,” she quipped.

Ultimately, Upton’s professionalism and sacrifice was worth it. Tsai captured what is now an iconic image at the perfect moment. Below are two additional photos of Upton rocking the Todd Patrick Designs tutu—safely on land.

Check out the rest of the images from the Upton’s 2018 photo shoot in Aruba here.

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