Published: March 24, 2026
By Gavin Boyle
Kathy Ireland opened up about how her relationship with Christ began early in her modeling career.
“I was a late learner of Jesus. I grew up believing in God, always believed in Him, but I didn’t know Him. And I didn’t know that I didn’t know Him. And I was 18 years old. I had just started modeling. It wasn’t my plan. I thought it would be an opportunity to save money for college or start a business, and it was this lonely time. I was staying in an apartment of an agent, and I didn’t feel safe there…” Ireland told CBN. “So, it’s the middle of the night, it’s 1981, there’s no technology. I just barely finished high school and never wanted to read another book and, you know, all those…rebellious things. Without telling me, my mom stuck a Bible in my suitcase, and I’d never read one before. I didn’t know how to read it.”
Related: Kathy Ireland Shares Faith Journey: ‘My Life Forever Changed’
“So, I’m sitting alone in the room, and I open [the Bible]. It opens up to the book of Matthew. And as I started reading it, I knew that what I had in my hands was the truth. And there was nobody in the room with me, nobody saying be this denomination or that denomination. And it was — I just want to follow Jesus,” she continued. “He was nothing like I thought… And so, that was the moment when I came to know Him as my Lord and Savior.”
Even after Ireland decided she was going to devote herself to the Lord, it was not always easy for her to accept what the Bible taught.
“Some things I would read and really love. And other things, I would read and say, ‘Oh, that must be a typo. That’s a different interpretation or a cultural thing. Certainly doesn’t pertain to me.’ So I was picking and choosing what I liked and neglecting the rest of it,” she recalled. “I was trying to mold God into what I wanted Him to be, rather than just surrendering and letting Him make me into the person He made me to be. And oh my goodness, He was so patient. I was 44 when I finally read the whole Bible. It continues to teach me every day.”
As Ireland learned to understand the God’s teachings better, she became a fierce advocate and now uses her platform to fight the evil of this world. The main issue she fights is abortion and the belief that killing a baby is okay. She understands this movement extremely well as she had pro-choice beliefs for much of her life.
Ireland’s story is incredible, and it is amazing to see how she continues to devote her life to the Lord and allow Him to shape her thoughts and beliefs, rather than forcing Him into a worldview that has no real foundation.
Read Next: Former Supermodel Kathy Ireland Fights for Life: ‘Wake Up’
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