She talks about her home town, being a Russian spy (her joke), and her surprise at being on the cover on the Today Show in the video below.
Russian beauty Irina Shayk -- the girlfriend of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo -- is this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl, it was announced Monday.
While the official unveiling took place on "The Late Show With David Letterman," the sexy cover featuring a sun-kissed Shayk in a pink and yellow halter-neck bikini, was leaked on Twitter before the taping.
The New York City billboard was accidentally exposed, allowing time for a few cell phone snap shots, before quickly being covered up again.
The stunning 25-year-old brunette has now appeared in the famed swimsuit edition five times, but this is her first cover.
"There were 10 models there to do the Top 10 List, and nobody knows until the last minute who the cover will be," Shayk said. "And then I saw it, and I couldn't believe it."
Shayk's previous covers include GQ Spain, GQ South Africa and Elle Spain.
She and Portugal and Real Madrid star Ronaldo, 26, have been an item since 2010 after meeting through their Armani Exchange modeling duties.
Other models in the running included last year's cover girl Brooklyn Decker, the wife of US tennis star Andy Roddick.
