Olivia Culpo has landed the number one spot on Maxim’s Top 100 list for 2019.
The 27-year-old model has been named the sexiest woman in the world by the men’s publication and upon being bestowed the title Olivia has admitted she has "always dreamt" of topping the list – a position held by the likes of Kate Upton, Hailey Baldwin, and Stella Maxwell – because she has looked up to so many women before her that have had the honour.
In an interview that accompanied her Maxim cover shoot, she said: "It’s honestly something that I’ve always dreamed of since I was so little. It’s really humbling. There are so many women who have been in this same position before that I have looked up to for so many years. I thrive off the success of other women because a win for one of us is, in my opinion, a win for all of us."
The striking brunette – who was crowned Miss USA in 2012 and went on to become Miss Universe the same year – also spoke about how her parents "hated the idea" of her modelling at first and weren’t supportive of her pageant roots at first.
She said: "They always hated the idea of modelling or beauty. Any time I would want to get dressed up or be girly, my mom would be like, ‘Ugh, why?’ To them it was a little scary because they felt like it might be a little vain. They didn’t even want to come the day that I won Miss Rhode Island. My dad was listening to the baseball game the whole time.
"Then when I won, they were like, ‘OK, well I guess this is kind of cool.’ Then later I won Miss USA, and then six months after that, I won Miss Universe. Then they were like, ‘Okay, this is kind of cool.’"
And Olivia knew that having a "presence" in the pageant world could help progress her career further.
She said: "I also looked at people like Halle Berry who had been the runner-up to Miss USA years ago, and I thought, ‘Well, this clearly helped her career so what’s the point of not trying it?’
"I thought it was just an opportunity to work on stage presence, get in great shape, meet new people, and work really hard at something to see where I could land. I really didn’t think I was going to win."
Olivia Culpo tops Maxim Top 100 list
