Emma Slater turned up the heat at Miami Swim Week 2026 — despite having less than three weeks to prepare for the dream modeling gig.
The “Dancing With the Stars” pro made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show debut at W South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, over the weekend, walking the catwalk in a black one-piece by Heidi Fish that featured chain detailing, sultry cut-outs and an intricate dragon design.
Slater revealed she was approached about the opportunity while the “DWTS” cast was in New York City for the 2026 Disney Upfront event on May 12, giving her just 18 days to get runway ready.
For flawless-looking skin, she prioritized her beauty routine with a daily mix of Korean skincare products she loves: the “amazing” Booster Shot Skin Renewal Duo from Arencia ($39.99) that she “found on social media,” eye patches from COSRX ($23), sheet masks from Abib ($20), as well as sunscreen ($20 $14.40) and Dynasty Cream ($15 $12) from Beauty of Joseon that’s “changed” her skin in “so many ways.”
The pro dancer also relied on a tried-and-true beauty hack she’s no stranger to as a “DWTS” performer — a good spray tan.
“For SI Swim specifically, we used a Dolce Glow spray tan. I also used a Dolce Glow instant bronzer ($48). On the day of, I just put that on, and it’s got a really nice sheen.”
“I have to be honest, I had the mentality of, ‘I’m gonna walk the runway the way that I am, and I don’t want to put myself on a crazy diet,’” the former mirrorball champion revealed. “I didn’t want to do the whole water fast or anything like that … I just tried not to eat foods that really bloat me, like fruit.”
“For exercise, I didn’t really [work out] at all. I remember the day of, I went for a long walk, but really that was more for the mental side,” she continued. “I just came off our huge tour. We did 97 shows in 111 days, so my body was still in tour kind of shape. I did a few workout classes after tour leading up to this, reformer Pilates, and then honestly, that was it.”
Slater was also busy with fittings leading up to the main event. She told us that she was originally given three options, including some bikinis, but landing on the black one-piece was a no-brainer.
“I’ve done so many fittings with ‘Dancing With the Stars’ for costumes, but this was different. It really felt like, ‘I’m running the walkway, and I’ve got to learn how to do that,’” she recalled, telling us the dragon fit was the third look she tried.
“I walked out of the changing room and the lady who was in charge of the fitting was immediately like, ‘Yes, this is it, it’s such a vibe! This is exactly what we want.’ I was really happy because I also really liked that one too,” she continued.
“I thought I was going to enjoy the bikinis more because I’m like, ‘Sports Illustrated, oh my God, I’ll wear a two-piece, it’ll be really fun.’ But I was actually really digging this. It felt really good.”
In the last few days leading up to the SI Swimsuit Runway Show, however, Slater knew more than anything that confidence would be key.
“I just wanted to walk the runway looking like myself and being proud of that rather than feeling under pressure,” explained the British-American dancer, who has previously been open about relatable body insecurities on social media.
“An area I was always really self-conscious of was my bum. Growing up in England, I did not grow up in a setting where you go to the beach, wearing like really skimpy thongs or anything like that. It’s quite different now, but I didn’t grow up like that, and I was always very conscious that my bum is [big]. I always wanted it to be smaller,” she admitted.
“Thank God that curvier bums have come into fashion, but I still would kind of carry around a very self-conscious image, especially around my legs, my thighs, my bum. I’ve got some strong calves going on; I inherited them from my dad. But now I kind of look at that and go, ‘I’ve got the same legs as my dad, and I love that. I love my dad. I love how strong my legs look. I love that I can get them out.’”
Slater loves that there’s “a lot more positivity” nowadays around embracing different body types, which she was thrilled to see on the SI Swimsuit Runway, too.
“Every time I’ve opened up and been vulnerable about [insecurities], I’ve always had such a heap of support rushing in. It’s really made me feel stronger about sharing that, and feeling better and good about myself. And I do,” she exclaimed.
“A few years ago, it probably would have been hard for me to walk the runway, I’m not gonna lie. I think I would have felt very insecure, but thankfully, I’ve done a lot of work on myself and I now feel really comfortable. So that’s honestly the biggest takeaway I got from this, is that I must have really grown in my mindset because I was able to do that and feel really comfortable with it.”
“Also, the good thing about Sports Illustrated is, I feel like there were a lot of different body types represented on the runway,” she continued, “and that just even more makes me feel so hopeful in the fact that the beauty standards are being challenged to some of the damaging standards that we’ve seen in the past. I think that’s really refreshing.”
Slater told us it also helped to surround herself “with the right people” leading up to the milestone moment, like her boyfriend, Alan Bersten, who was cheering her on ever since she booked the gig.
And in person at the event, Slater was joined by fellow “DWTS” pros Jenna Johnson and Britt Stewart, along with troupe member Hailey Bills, who all walked in the show.
“When we found out about it, it was an immediate ‘yes’ for all of us. It’s great to do things together. We’ve all got a very special bond,” Slater shared. “And all the ladies [in the show] were really welcoming and lovely. I feel like even in such a short period of time, I made some friends. It was nice.”
Additionally, Val Chmerkovskiy made a special appearance, leading the ladies in a choreographed number. While his signature knee walks certainly made headlines, so did an unfortunate onstage slip-up that was caught on camera between him and Slater. However, like the true pros they are, the two quickly got up and re-filmed the dance section without missing a beat.
“You won’t see that [on the live show] because we ran through the dance a couple of times,” Slater revealed, noting that they were dancing on wet Plexiglass due to rain that day. “We [performed] without shoes because we had a better grip, but it was still really, really hard.”
“What you saw there was basically a product of all the dancers trying to grip their feet,” she added. “I got with Val and I think the floor just got away from him. Right after that, it got away from me, too, so we both just went down.”
Slater clarified that no one was injured and credited Chmerkovskiy, 40, for being “such a perfect gentleman” in that moment.
“He felt really bad, and he was trying to make me feel good. I think he probably also tried to catch me when I was falling; he’s just a very solid dance partner like that,” she continued. “But lucky for us, we really just laughed about it. We thought it was pretty funny.”
The SI Swimsuit Runway Show — also featuring Alix Earle, Bethenny Frankel, Brooks Nader, Ilona Maher, Maura Higgins and more — will be available for streaming beginning June 9 on Hulu and Disney+.
