{"id":10535,"date":"2026-03-02T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=10535"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:58:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T03:58:36","slug":"from-sports-illustrated-to-bible-study-kathy-ireland-shares-how-god-redeemed-her-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/?p=10535","title":{"rendered":"From Sports Illustrated to Bible study, Kathy Ireland shares how God redeemed her story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story By\u00a0Leah MarieAnn Klett,\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathy Ireland was 18, and alone in a Paris apartment when she opened a Bible her mother had tucked into her suitcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d never read one before,\u201d the 62-year-old former supermodel told The Christian Post. \u201cI opened to the book of Matthew, and as I read, I knew that what I had in my hands was the truth. I just thought, I want to follow Him. I want to follow Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was 1981. Ireland had just begun modeling, a career that would eventually make her one of the most recognizable faces in the nation. But she said the moment of encountering Jesus reshaped how she understood success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf God is with us, who can be against us?\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t care who liked me or didn\u2019t like me. He loved me. What else mattered?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The California native grew up believing in God, but didn\u2019t have a personal relationship with Him, she told CP. That began to change when her mother returned to school to become a nurse and befriended a Christian classmate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom said, \u2018What is it with you? You have three teenage daughters. I have three teenage daughters. But you have this peace,\u2019\u201d Ireland recalled. \u201cAnd the woman said, \u2018Jesus.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mother\u2019s transformation left an impression. But Ireland said it wasn\u2019t until that night in Paris, jet-lagged and isolated, that faith became personal. What struck her most, she said, was how Jesus treated women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had been told growing up that following Jesus wasn\u2019t good for women,\u201d Ireland said. \u201cBut the truth was right there. Jesus loves women and honors and respects women. That was powerful, especially as a young woman entering an industry dominated by men of questionable character.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The belief that she was loved and valued as a daughter of God, she said, gave her courage to walk away from situations that felt compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could say no,\u201d she said. \u201cThat mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ireland went on to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, among other magazines, star in multiple films, and build a business empire spanning fashion, home furnishings, wellness and accessories. Her company has grown into one of the most valuable woman-owned licensing businesses in U.S. history, earning industry honors and recognition for producing affordable, family-focused products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she said she never wanted her identity tied to appearance or achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to earn a living on how someone else thought I looked,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s not my identity. Daughter of the King, I\u2019ll take that one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite decades of public success, Ireland said her faith journey has been gradual and imperfect. In fact, she didn\u2019t read the entire Bible until she was 44. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I love the Scripture that says, ‘The one who is forgiven much loves much,’ and I love a whole bunch. And in the past, I was a very slow learner, and God is so patient.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was bittersweet,\u201d she said. \u201cSweet because I finally understood the love of the Father and how patient He is with us. Bitter because I realized I had wasted a lot of time. \u2026 The verse that God placed on my heart is Joel 2:25, intended for the Israelites, yet applicable to all of us. God says, ‘I will restore the years the locusts have eaten.’ And He’s so faithful.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, Ireland said she\u2019s passionate about studying the Bible, getting to know the nature of God and helping others develop biblical literacy. She leads a weekly Bible study that began in her mother\u2019s living room in 2018 and later moved online during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod has brought the most amazing women,\u201d she said. \u201cI recently met two in person for the first time after years on Zoom. They said, \u2018It\u2019s me from Bible study.\u2019 That was so sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ireland said passages about women and submission, specifically, are often misused, adding: \u201cGod does not condone abuse. The Word of God is our plumb line. Husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church. That\u2019s laying down your life. That\u2019s strength.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe enemy knows the Word of God,\u201d she added. \u201cIt’s not enough to read it. It’s not a book that you read like any other book. It’s a living Word of God, and the enemy is the counterfeit. He tries to deceive. Bankers don\u2019t study counterfeit money; they study real money so they can identify the counterfeit. We’ve got to know what the word of God says, so we can identify the counterfeit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a mother of three grown children and a grandmother, Ireland credits daily time in prayer and Scripture with grounding her and improving every part of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier,\u201d she said. \u201cThat 15 minutes became an hour. If I don\u2019t do that, I\u2019m apologizing to someone by 7 a.m. \u2026 That\u2019s my download time. He gives me wisdom and discernment. He\u2019s made me a better mom, wife, grandmother and in work, more focus, more clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ireland encouraged women, especially working mothers, to resist guilt and comparison, emphasizing that \u201cthere\u2019s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur lives come in seasons. Sometimes we have to say no to good things to say yes to great things,\u201d she said. \u201cEven in business, there\u2019s been betrayal. There\u2019s been misplaced trust. But God is my boss. His Word is my plumb line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on what hopes her legacy will be, Ireland stressed she \u201cdoesn\u2019t care\u201d about being known for acting, modeling or entrepreneurship. The most important thing to her now, she said, is leading others to Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing in the modeling industry, I saw how fickle it was, and our outward appearance is temporary,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn’t want to earn a living on how someone else thought that I looked. That’s not my identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope whatever I do points others to Jesus,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m here another day. I can honestly say I am good because God is good. I read the last page. It\u2019s all going to be OK. Just keep your eyes on Him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story By\u00a0Leah MarieAnn Klett,\u00a0 Kathy Ireland was 18, and alone in a Paris apartment when she opened a Bible her mother had tucked into her suitcase. \u201cI\u2019d never read one before,\u201d the 62-year-old former supermodel told The Christian Post. \u201cI opened to the book of Matthew, and as I read, I knew that what I<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[119,110,200,179],"coauthors":[475],"class_list":{"0":"post-10535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-faith","8":"tag-bible","9":"tag-christianity","10":"tag-god","11":"tag-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10539,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10535\/revisions\/10539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10535"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=10535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}