15 things you probably never knew about Martha Stewart

Shelby SlauerAug 3, 2020, 21:34 IST

Martha Stewart.Denis Contreras/Getty Images for SOBEWFF®

August 3 is Martha Stewart's birthday — this year she turns 79.
Stewart is a renowned television personality, businesswoman, and cookbook author, but there are plenty of surprising things you probably don't know about her.
In college, she modeled to pay her tuition, and her clients ranged from Unilever to Chanel.
She spent time in prison after being convicted for four felony charges, and has since shared stories about her experience.

Because Martha Stewart has been in the limelight for so long, a lot of people think they know everything about her.

But she is the queen of reinvention, and has lived so many different lives that it's impossible to keep up.

Keep scrolling to read some lesser-known facts about the savvy businesswoman.

She was born Martha Kostyra.

Martha Stewart, right, and her friend and restaurant consultant Ruth Leserman. Ron Frehm/AP

She's the second of six children.

Stewart in the 1960s. marthastewart48/Instagram

She started working as a model at age 13 and continued throughout college to pay for tuition.

Martha Stewart in 1961. Frank Horvat/Condé Nast via Getty Images

She babysat for a few legendary baseball players.

Stewart. Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Image

She earned a bachelor's degree from Barnard College in art, European history, and architectural history.

She had a scholarship. Neilsen Barnard/Getty Images

She worked as a stockbroker for a boutique firm.

Stewart at the Financo CEO forum in 2017. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Financo

Julia Child got her into cooking.

Martha Stewart and Bethenny Frankel. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

She dated Sir Anthony Hopkins for a while, but broke up with him because she couldn't stop thinking of him as Hannibal Lecter.

Hannibal Lecter. Orion Pictures/"Silence of the Lambs"

She has worked in almost every kind of media.

She is most known for her magazine and TV show. AP

She was America's first self-made female billionaire.

Martha Stewart. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

At one point, she owned eight houses.

Stewart. Christopher Polk/Getty Images

She was convicted of three felony charges in 2004.

She speaks openly about her time in prison. Jemal Countess/Getty Images

She said she only sleeps four hours a night.

She loves late-night TV. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

She has several interesting eating habits, such as drinking buttermilk straight from the carton.

American cheese is a favorite of hers. Robin Marchant/Getty Images for NYCWFF

She was named one of "America's Top 25 Most Influential People" AND one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in the same year.

Stewart is every homemaker's idol. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Step inside the best hotel in America, a boutique hotel in Charleston with more than 3,300 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor

Cookies on the Business Insider India website