Kate Upton On Her 'Painful' Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot (In Antarctica)

Kate Upton On Her 'Painful' Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Shoot (In Antarctica)

Kate Upton once again graces the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue this year, though the photo shoot hardly took place in the most obvious of destinations. Nope, Upton wasn't shipped off to Hawaii, Florida or California - instead, magazine bosses thought it right to send the world's most famous model to Antarctica.

"It was definitely the hardest shoot I've ever done," Upton, 20, told People magazine, "The best as well - Antarctica is one of the most beautiful place I've ever been to. But I'm from Florida, so it was pretty painful." It ended up paying off, with a 'perfect shot' earning Upton her second consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover - the first model to land the honour since Tyra Banks covered back-to-back issues in 1996 and 1997. "Everything about the picture is perfect," said Swimsuit Issue editor MJ Day, "The light, the background, the suit. It's different from what we've done in past years, and it was an exciting moment for us to have those photos work out." We find it hard to believe Upton wasn't nailed down for the cover BEFORE the shoot, though Day insists her crew didn't know if they'd get any useable photos. "It was difficult.First of all, it's cold, even though we were there in summer. The windchill was sub-zero - the elements are really working against you." 

In the all-important shot, Upton wears a Canada Goose Chilliwack Bomber coat, paired with white Letarte by Lisa Cabrinha bottoms. "I figured, why not a coat?" said Day, "We threw it on, took maybe 100 frames, then moved on."

Watch Kate Upton Arriving For The Late Show With David Letterman: