Ashley Graham announced as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 cover model

Plus-size model Ashley Graham has landed one of the fashion world's most coveted spots – the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. The gorgeous brunette stars on one of three covers presented for 2016, along with fellow beauties Hailey Clauson and Ronda Rousey.

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'Rookie bombshell' Ashley Graham is making a splash as Sports Illustrated's newest swimsuit cover model Photo: Sports Illustrated


The trio of cover girls were announced on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed show hosted by Nick Cannon and Rebecca Romijn.

The competition, which usually crowns one model as the winner, surprised everyone by giving the honor to all three. The women are now joining the ranks of supermodels Elle Macpherson, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Kate Upton, Chrissy Teigen and Christie Brinkley, who have all appeared on the SI Swimsuit cover.

Cover 2️⃣ #SISwim

Una foto publicada por Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@si_swimsuit) el

Speaking about the prestigious accolade, Ashley said: "I'm insanely speechless. I cannot comprehend how I feel right now. This will go down in the books forever. It is a historic moment. Not only is this the first time that I'm in the issue, but I'm on the cover and sharing this honor with two of the most stunning women. This is for all the women who didn't think they were beautiful because of their size. This is for them."

Ronda Rousey was also announced as a cover star Photo: Sports Illustrated

Of their decision to release three different covers for the magazine that will be released on February 15, SI Swimsuit Editor MJ Day said: “What defines beauty today? The truth is, times have changed and one size does not fit all. Our position on beauty is well known – healthy, curvy, vivacious and bold. It’s not a size. The three cover models – Hailey Clauson, Ronda Rousey and Ashley Graham – demonstrate that… So we don’t have just one cover, because beauty doesn’t take just one form."

WATCH THE MOMENT THE COVERS ARE REVEALED BELOW:

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