Born in Michigan and raised in Melbourne, Florida, Kate Upton grew up around horses. She was attending a horse show--not as a participant, but because the event piqued her interest--at age 12 when she was Spotted by Trump Model Management. Three years later she went to Miami to become a model. She quickly gained popularity after her first appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and also for utilizing social media which got her signed by Ivan Bart of IMG Models. For this skillful use of the internet she was profiled on 13 February 2012 by the NY Times the same day as her second issue of Sports Illustrated, featuring her on the cover, hit newsstands.
Kate Upton
