She has become a household name almost overnight, her blonde locks, never-ending legs and womanly curves propelling her to the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition.
But, while Kate Upton looks in fine form in the sizzling shoot and wall-to-wall publicity surrounding the much-hyped launch, it was revealed that the 5' 11" model might never have made the cover if it wasn't for a little friendly dieting advice.
The 19-year-old bombshell reportedly let her figure go last summer - so much so that her friends stepped in to set her back on the path to superstardom.
A friend of Miss Upton's told the New York Post: 'She’s not your typical model... She will eat anything. She’s not assuming. She’s not into herself. She’s not very affected.'
The football fan's laid-back approach started to show, the newspaper said - and pounds piled on, in part because of her refreshingly healthy attitude to eating.
