Danielle Herrington had the world bowing down and clicking "follow" when she appeared on the cover of the highly anticipated 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue [1] in one helluva pink bikini [2]. Now that we've had a minute to crawl out of the Insta-stalking hole that is her smoking-hot account [3], let's learn more about the gorgeous 24-year-old model who "owns it."
- She's a California girl at heart. Danielle was born on May 26, 1993, in Compton, CA. She now lives in Brooklyn.
- She's making history. Danielle is the third black woman ever to appear on the cover of the magazine [4]. For the 55th annual issue, she followed in the prestigious footsteps of Tyra Banks and Beyoncé, who each graced the covers of the Swimsuit Issue [5] in 1997 and 2007, respectively.
- She's already got a strong modeling portfolio. In 2017, Danielle was named an SI Rookie [6], and she has taken over the runways for designer shows like Juicy Couture [7] and Philipp Plein [8], as seen on her Instagram. She's been modeling since age 13, but it wasn't until 2015 that she decided to make it a full-time career.
- She's a huge fan of Tyra Banks. The one and only Tyra surprised Danielle with the incredible news that she was the new cover star in a tear-filled moment. "SO THIS JUST HAPPENED," she captioned the video below. She also told SI that Tyra [9] is "the reason I knew about Sports Illustrated." Amazing!
- She has a sexy not-so-secret admirer. This is difficult to write out of pure jealousy, but Black Panther [12] star and heartthrob Michael B. Jordan [13] surprised Danielle [14] on Tuesday morning while she appeared on Good Morning America. "Keep doing what you're doing, it's an inspiration," he told the model in the heart-racing clip [15].
- She understands the value of hard work. When sharing a photo of the stunning magazine cover, Danielle could not hold back her emotion in the caption [16]. "THANK YOU @si_swimsuit for having me on your COVER. This is my first cover ever and I am beyond speechless! I dedicate this to all the young girls out there. Work hard, surround yourself with good people who believe in you and your DREAMS WILL COME TRUE," she wrote. "I am the luckiest and most grateful girl. DREAM BIG. WORK HARD. BE RESPECTFUL. LOVE EACH OTHER. OWN IT!"
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