Elon Musk's mom Maye nearly turned down SI Swimsuit cover over 'wrinkles and cellulite'

Maye Musk nearly passed on the chance to make a splash in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit because she worried about looking "wrinkly" in the iconic magazine.

The Canadian-born, South African-raised model made history in 2022 as the oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model at 74.

Martha Stewart later broke the record at 81 in 2023.

Now, Musk is looking back at the milestone and her journey from a single mother of three to a sought-after model in her new book, "Timeless." "At my age, you have wrinkles and cellulite on your arms and on your thighs, so I prefer to wear long sleeves," the mother of tech mogul Elon Musk told Fox News Digital.

"So, the idea of wearing a swimsuit was very uncomfortable.

But then my daughter called me.

I told her they were going to be shooting in Belize.

She instantly said, 'You've got to go.

Belize is beautiful.' So, I did.

I took a chance." MAYE MUSK DEFENDS SYDNEY SWEENEY'S NUDE SPORTS AD AND RECALLS 12-YEAR PATH TO CITIZENSHIP In the book, Musk wrote, "I was still 73.

My skin showed the signs of my weight having cycled up and down so many times in my life, including for each of my pregnancies.

I'm wrinkly and I have cellulite.

Swimsuit model?" Despite her worries, Musk said she felt at ease when she began posing for photographer Yu Tsai.

She even wore colorful two-pieces for the occasion.