“If you don't have haters, then you're probably not successful,” - When Justin Verlander’s wife Kate Upton thanked her critics for helping her succeed

For Kate Upton, living life in the limelight is a fact of life. For the last decade and a half, the model, actress and media personality has become a household name, owing to her beauty and grace, but also her entrepreneurship and upbeat disposition.

Now 32 years old, Upton is a pro at dealing with with adversity. However, it was not always so easy. In a 2017 interview with Vogue Magazine, Upton discussed how adjusting to the life of a full-time model was difficult when she was nineteen years old. As Upton told the outlet:

“If you don't have haters, then you're probably not successful, they lashed out on me because they felt insecure about themselves. I realise that the confidence that I had in my body was actually meant to inspire women to love themselves for all their different flaws.”

Kate Upton was referenced the often mean-spirited remarks about her body and appearance that she would often find herself on the receiving end of. However, in hindsight, Upton realizes that the so-called "haters" and their demeaning rhetoric only inspired her to push forward.

In addition to featuring on several covers for publications such as Vogue, GQ, Elle, Vanity Fair and Sports Illustrated, Upton is also a patron of the arts, and an entrepreneur. In 2023, she became a co-owner of Vosa Spirits, a canned cocktail manufacturer based in her home state of Michigan.

"Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are goals" - Baseball Bros

Since 2014, Upton has been in a relationship with Justin Verlander. In 2017, mere days after Verlander's Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series, the couple were wed in Tuscany, Italy. In 2018, they welcomed their daughter, Genevieve, into the world.

Kate Upton has dealt with challenges as an MLB wife

Injuries have kept Justin Verlander out of action since June, and now that he is 41, retirement looks increasingly likely. For Upton, the adjustment of being in a relationship with an MLB star was not easy, as she told the Chicks in the Office Podcast last month:

"No consecutive off days, only Mondays and Thursdays, I'm like I don't see him, especially when you start getting into late playoffs when the baseball is so exciting, but you're like, 'I haven't seen my husband in months, like they better win.""

With Verlander's retirement possibly imminent, Kate Upton and her growing family are in for some big changes.