Bodypainted Natalie Coughlin in SI Swimsuit Issue

Here's a sneak preview of bodypainted swimmer Natalie Coughlin in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue hitting newsstands, SI.com/Swimsuit, tablets and iPhones today.

CAPTION

By Kayt Jones, Sports Illustrated

Along with LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis and soccer star Alex Morgan, Coughlin stripped off her swimsuit and posed nude -- albeit with some carefully applied bodypaint."It feels like something in between a swimsuit -- and being naked," says Coughlin about the bodypainting experience.
The three-time gold medalist says she "jumped" at the chance to pose in bodypaint. It took 11 hours to apply, while Coughlin stood the whole time at a photo studio in New York.
"I wasn't really nervous about that aspect of it at all. I was just so honored that they thought of me."
Coughlin, who has nearly 37,000 followers on Twitter, says she's happy she posed for what she considers an "iconic" franchise. "It's awesome to be able to say I have done a Swimsuit Issue. When I'm old and wrinkly and out of shape, I'll be very, very proud of that."
SI's Jimmy Traina already unveiled preview pics of Morgan posing in the buff with bodypaint. SI has posted pictures of Gulbis posing in a painted-on green and white bikini.
Coughlin says she hopes more female athletes pose for the issue, which is read by 70 million adults.
"As beautiful as the supermodels are, I think it's great to have different types of bodies," she says. "To have an athletic body in SI Swimsuit Issue, I think, is really important. SI is a sports magazine in the first place. So it's nice to have balance between models and athletes."
Kate Upton was unveiled as cover model during a taping of CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman in New York on Monday night.
This year's issue will feature 18 models as well as three male athletes: Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, NBA star Chris Paul; and tennis star Rafael Nadal.
Send news tips, videos and links to Mike McCarthy at mmccarthy@usatoday.com. Follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook.

Kate Upton, 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Girl

Kate Upton’s 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover leaked a few hours ago – Barstool Sports had it, then other sites piggybacked – so here it is. She’ll be on Letterman tomorrow. Thought you might be interested. Kate


Upton spilling out of a bikini. Think I called this on year ago
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Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue reveals the Gulf Coast beauty of Apalachicola

A behind-the-scenes look at Ariel Meredith modeling for the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition in Apalachicola. SI chose the town to help boost the Gulf Coast after the BP spill.


When your honey finds you lustily staring at the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, which hits newsstands today, you'll have a brand new excuse. You weren't feasting your eyes on flesh. Not on the women.
No.
You were looking at Florida!
The untainted beaches of St. George Island. The glorious wharf in Apalachicola. An oyster boat at sundown on Apalachicola Bay.


 Last year, the magazine contacted Anita Grove, executive director of the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce. SI was looking at several locations for an Americana-themed shoot.





She ran the idea by the city fathers. After much thought, debate and careful consideration, they said:

" 'What? Are you crazy?' " Grove recalled. " 'This is wonderful!' "
In October, the vixens and their crew came to town quietly, like sexy stealth bombers. They holed up in the Coombs House Inn and dined on catered meals. They ordered Red Bull and potato chips, any brand. They sampled Apalachicola's oysters. One supermodel even found a pearl.
And they worked.

"I was very impressed," Grove said. "They worked very hard."
For nine days, some of the most desired women in America posed along the Forgotten Coast. They rolled in the sand and boated through the marsh and leaned against antique Chevrolet pickups, and the town buzzed with rumors about the locations of the shoots. But otherwise they kept it all under wraps.
"Somehow in this gossip-ridden little Southern town, we kept pretty quiet about it," said photographer Richard Bickel. "It was a secret. I told very few people."

One model, stylist in tow, popped into Bickel's gallery on Market Street.
"Unfortunately," Bickel said, "she didn't come into the shop with her swimsuit on."




"We thought we can do some good for our country, really help a region that needs to be showcased," Diane Smith, SI swimsuit issue editor, told USA Today.

Time will tell whether the portraiture translates into a spike in tourist traffic. Will readers see the beach for the boobs?

"If some guy with his beer and corn dog sees Apalachicola in the magazine, I don't think he's going to go get his atlas and look us up," Bickel said. "He's going to flip the page."

So maybe the Maldives don't have anything to worry about, but the town is hoping to benefit from the extra attention such a prestigious shoot could bring, especially after some bad press related to the BP oil spill, which mucked shores farther west. Apalachicola is one of five locations featured in the issue.

"To me, this solidifies us as a world-class destination," Grove said. "It dignifies us as a place that's special. It's beautiful. It's one of a kind. Hopefully, we'll be able to use that when we need it."

Kate Upton nabs cover of 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue

When Fox411.com interviewed her a couple weeks ago, she was gushing about being the new spokesmodel for Carl's Jr. hamburgers.

Monday night, we found out she had even bigger fish to fry.

Kate Upton has been given the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Upton, 19, wears a tiny red-and-brown, sparkle-covered string bikini with a view of the waters of Australia behind her as she poses for the magazine cover, which is scheduled to be unveiled on TV Monday night on "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS.

"That was one of the first photos from the first shoot," she said in a telephone interview to the Associated Press before the big reveal. "It was my favorite swimsuit. ... I felt sexy in it but confident."

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Upton, 5 feet 10, was born in Michigan but raised in Florida. Her hometown is Melbourne, on Florida's east coast.

"In Florida, people walk around in their flip-flops, bikinis and jean shorts, so I'm very comfortable in a bathing suit," she said.

The 2012 magazine cover is her second time appearing in the annual SI issue that's the equivalent of the Super Bowl for models. Last year, when Irina Shayk was on the cover, Upton was chosen as rookie of the year.

A huge perk of the job as the official swimsuit model is visiting lovely beaches, including shoots for the magazine in Sydney and Cairns, Australia, and Apalachicola, Florida.

She said living a healthy lifestyle for her includes working out regularly with a personal trainer and watching what she eats. But there's no special diet to prepare for a bikini shoot, she said, and she admits to splurging on the occasional ice cream or plate of fries.

Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson are among the now celebrity models who previously had the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover gig. Upton said, "I am so glad to be in their company."

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.