This Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model used to be a cleaner

Tabria Majors never wanted to be a model – but then a talent agency spotted her on Instagram.

Now she’s a finalist for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, winning the coveted spot over thousands of other hopefuls in the magazine’s first-ever open casting call.

But the journey to get here has meant a lot of work. Specifically, cleaning work.

The 27-year-old had worked as a production assistant in LA, but quit to pursue modelling full-time, and quickly realised she needed some kind of side-hustle.

“When I told people at modelling jobs [that I was moonlighting as a cleaner], they looked at me with disgust,” she told New York Post.

“Modeling is an expensive career when you first start,” she added. “You have to invest in yourself and pay for photo shoots and maintain your appearance.”

It paid off.

Majors, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, is now represented by prestigious agencies in New York and LA.

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Majors is also on a mission to get everyone to chill out a bit and celebrate all kinds of bodies, and her honesty and humor have fans flocking to her podcast, The Thick.

And if you're wondering, she hasn’t had to clean a house in over a year. But she says the job taught her a lot.

“I can handle a lot more than [other] people can. I’ll do whatever I need to do to get where I wanna be.”