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Emma Slater turned up nan power astatine Miami Swim Week 2026 — contempt having little than 3 weeks to hole for nan dream modeling gig.
The “Dancing With nan Stars” pro made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show debut astatine W South Beach successful Miami Beach, Florida, complete nan weekend, stepping nan catwalk successful a achromatic one-piece by Heidi Fish that featured concatenation detailing, sultry cut-outs and an intricate dragon design.
“It was really surreal. I retrieve past twelvemonth looking astatine each of nan societal content. It was really cool and it’s go benignant of iconic,” Slater, 37, exclusively told Page Six Style of nan yearly star-studded event. “Getting asked to do it, I shed a small tear. It was conscionable really breathtaking for me, truthful very, very happy I did it.”
Slater revealed she was approached astir nan opportunity while nan “DWTS” formed was successful New York City for nan 2026 Disney Upfront arena connected May 12, giving her conscionable 18 days to get runway ready.
For flawless-looking skin, she prioritized her beauty regular pinch a regular operation of Korean skincare products she loves: nan “amazing” Booster Shot Skin Renewal Duo from Arencia ($39.99) that she “found connected societal media,” eye patches from COSRX ($23), sheet masks from Abib ($20), arsenic good arsenic sunscreen ($20 $14.40) and Dynasty Cream ($15 $12) from Beauty of Joseon that’s “changed” her tegument successful “so galore ways.”
The pro dancer besides relied connected a tried-and-true beauty hack she’s nary alien to arsenic a “DWTS” performer — a bully spray tan.
“For SI Swim specifically, we utilized a Dolce Glow spray tan. I besides utilized a Dolce Glow instant bronzer ($48). On nan time of, I conscionable put that on, and it’s sewage a really bully sheen.”
As for immoderate strict dieting aliases last-ditch workout efforts to get “swimsuit ready”? Slater told Page Six Style that she took a amazingly low-effort attack aft moving truthful difficult connected nan astir caller “DWTS: Live!” tour.
“I person to beryllium honest, I had nan mentality of, ‘I’m gonna locomotion nan runway nan measurement that I am, and I don’t want to put myself connected a crazy diet,'” nan erstwhile mirrorball champion revealed. “I didn’t want to do nan full h2o accelerated aliases thing for illustration that … I conscionable tried not to eat foods that really bloat me, for illustration fruit.”
“For exercise, I didn’t really [work out] astatine all. I retrieve nan time of, I went for a agelong walk, but really that was much for nan intelligence side,” she continued. “I conscionable came disconnected our immense tour. We did 97 shows successful 111 days, truthful my assemblage was still successful circuit benignant of shape. I did a fewer workout classes aft circuit starring up to this, reformer Pilates, and past honestly, that was it.”
Slater was besides engaged pinch fittings starring up to nan main event. She told america that she was primitively fixed 3 options, including immoderate bikinis, but landing connected nan achromatic one-piece was a no-brainer.
“I’ve done truthful galore fittings pinch ‘Dancing With nan Stars’ for costumes, but this was different. It really felt like, ‘I’m moving nan walkway, and I’ve sewage to study really to do that,'” she recalled, telling america nan dragon fresh was nan 3rd look she tried.
“I walked retired of nan changing room and nan woman who was successful complaint of nan fitting was instantly like, ‘Yes, this is it, it’s specified a vibe! This is precisely what we want.’ I was really happy because I besides really liked that 1 too,” she continued.
“I thought I was going to bask nan bikinis much because I’m like, ‘Sports Illustrated, ohio my God, I’ll deterioration a two-piece, it’ll beryllium really fun.’ But I was really really digging this. It felt really good.”
In nan past fewer days starring up to nan SI Swimsuit Runway Show, however, Slater knew much than thing that assurance would beryllium key.
“I conscionable wanted to locomotion nan runway looking for illustration myself and being proud of that alternatively than emotion nether pressure,” explained nan British-American dancer, who has antecedently been unfastened astir relatable assemblage insecurities connected societal media.
“An area I was ever really self-conscious of was my bum. Growing up successful England, I did not turn up successful a mounting wherever you spell to nan beach, wearing for illustration really skimpy thongs aliases thing for illustration that. It’s rather different now, but I didn’t turn up for illustration that, and I was ever very conscious that my bum is [big]. I ever wanted it to beryllium smaller,” she admitted.
“Thank God that curvier bums person travel into fashion, but I still would benignant of transportation astir a very self-conscious image, especially astir my legs, my thighs, my bum. I’ve sewage immoderate beardown calves going on; I inherited them from my dad. But now I benignant of look astatine that and go, ‘I’ve sewage nan aforesaid legs arsenic my dad, and I emotion that. I emotion my dad. I emotion really beardown my legs look. I emotion that I tin get them out.'”
Slater loves that there’s “a batch much positivity” nowadays astir embracing different assemblage types, which she was thrilled to spot connected nan SI Swimsuit Runway, too.
“Every clip I’ve opened up and been susceptible astir [insecurities], I’ve ever had specified a heap of support rushing in. It’s really made maine consciousness stronger astir sharing that, and emotion amended and bully astir myself. And I do,” she exclaimed.
“A fewer years ago, it astir apt would person been difficult for maine to locomotion nan runway, I’m not gonna lie. I deliberation I would person felt very insecure, but thankfully, I’ve done a batch of activity connected myself and I now consciousness really comfortable. So that’s honestly nan biggest takeaway I sewage from this, is that I must person really grown successful my mindset because I was capable to do that and consciousness really comfortable pinch it.”
“Also, nan bully point astir Sports Illustrated is, I consciousness for illustration location were a batch of different assemblage types represented connected nan runway,” she continued, “and that conscionable moreover much makes maine consciousness truthful hopeful successful nan truth that nan beauty standards are being challenged to immoderate of nan damaging standards that we’ve seen successful nan past. I deliberation that’s really refreshing.”
Slater told america it besides helped to situation herself “with nan correct people” starring up to nan milestone moment, for illustration her boyfriend, Alan Bersten, who was cheering her connected ever since she booked nan gig.
“Obviously, I’m truthful happy, this opportunity is awesome for Emma,” Bersten, 32, gushed to Page Six Style, aft raving astir “dating a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model” connected Instagram. “People were sending maine pictures during her fitting and I was just, my jaw was connected nan floor. She’s truthful stunning. I was truthful excited!”
And successful personification astatine nan event, Slater was joined by chap “DWTS” pros Jenna Johnson and Britt Stewart, on pinch troupe personnel Hailey Bills, who each walked successful nan show.
“When we recovered retired astir it, it was an contiguous ‘yes’ for each of us. It’s awesome to do things together. We’ve each sewage a very typical bond,” Slater shared. “And each nan ladies [in nan show] were really welcoming and lovely. I consciousness for illustration moreover successful specified a short play of time, I made immoderate friends. It was nice.”
Additionally, Val Chmerkovskiy made a typical appearance, starring nan ladies successful a choreographed number. While his signature knee walks surely made headlines, truthful did an unfortunate onstage slip-up that was caught connected camera betwixt him and Slater. However, for illustration nan existent pros they are, nan 2 quickly sewage up and re-filmed nan creation conception without missing a beat.
“You won’t spot that [on nan unrecorded show] because we ran done nan creation a mates of times,” Slater revealed, noting that they were dancing connected bedewed Plexiglass owed to rainfall that day. “We [performed] without shoes because we had a amended grip, but it was still really, really hard.”
“What you saw location was fundamentally a merchandise of each nan dancers trying to grip their feet,” she added. “I sewage pinch Val and I deliberation nan level conscionable sewage distant from him. Right aft that, it sewage distant from me, too, truthful we some conscionable went down.”
Slater clarified that nary 1 was injured and credited Chmerkovskiy, 40, for being “such a cleanable gentleman” successful that moment.
“He felt really bad, and he was trying to make maine consciousness good. I deliberation he astir apt besides tried to drawback maine erstwhile I was falling; he’s conscionable a very coagulated creation partner for illustration that,” she continued. “But fortunate for us, we really just laughed astir it. We thought it was beautiful funny.”
The SI Swimsuit Runway Show — besides featuring Alix Earle, Bethenny Frankel, Brooks Nader, Ilona Maher, Maura Higgins and more — will beryllium disposable for streaming opening June 9 connected Hulu and Disney+.
