Chrissy Teigen feels "proud" to have appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The 38-year-old star made her professional modelling debut in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue back in 2010, and Chrissy now believes that it was a life-changing moment for her.

The model - who is married to music star John Legend - told 'Extra': "They were the first people to really believe in me … It was the first time that I got to speak and be in front of people and they were okay with it and I got to represent a brand that I was really proud of representing."

Chrissy features in the 60th anniversary edition of the magazine, alongside the likes of Kate Upton, Christie Brinkley, Martha Stewart and Tyra Banks.

The model really relished the photoshoot for the latest edition.

She said: "It was honestly so comfortable and cool … It’s growth and it felt good."

Chrissy is now one of the best-known models in the world. But earlier in her career, she used to agonise about her appearance and her weight in particular.

She told Glamour magazine: "I used to weigh myself every morning, afternoon and night. I knew what the scales would say after each meal. I did that for eight years and had this one weight I wanted to be at."

Chrissy has also learned to embrace her perceived imperfections.

She shared: "If you hear the same comment over and over again, it gets to you. But when you are happy in other aspects of your life, you care less about it.

"When I see my crazy, weird smile and my teeth being too big for my mouth, I see it as showing genuine emotion and happiness, so I don’t see it as a negative thing any more."