Comedian Amy Schumer has stripped down for the 2016 Pirelli Calendar and said she’s ‘never felt more beautiful’. The 34-year-old leads the collection of 12 inspirational women who have been photographed by Annie Leibovitz for the 2016 calendar, marking a departure from the pin-ups of the past.

A photo posted by @amyschumer on

The 2016 calendar celebrates women of outstanding cultural and professional merit, who have been photographed in a stripped-back, black and white style, showing the stars 'with no pretence’.

Speaking about her decision to work with Pirelli on the 2016 calendar, Leibovitz said: 'When Pirelli approached me, they said they wanted to make a departure from the past. They suggested the idea of photographing distinguished women.’

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'After we agreed on that, the goal was to be very straightforward. I wanted the pictures to show the women exactly as they are, with no pretense.' One of the women featured is comedian Amy Schumer, who stripped down to her underwear for the shoot.

'I've never felt more beautiful or more like myself,’ Schumer said when the image were unveiled at a London press conference. The Trainwreck star also shared her picture on Instagram writing: ‘Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you Annie Leibovitz!’

Speaking about Schumer’s involvement Leibovitz said: 'I told her my idea and asked if she'd be comfortable with it,' Leibovitz explained. 'And she said, "Of course, I love my body.’ I’m a great admirer of comediennes.’

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‘The Amy Schumer portrait added some fun. It’s as if she didn’t get the memo saying that she could keep her clothes on,' the photographer added. This year’s calendar also features tennis player Serena Williams, punk legend Patti Smith and artist Yoko Ono.

2016 marks the 43rd edition of the famous calendar, which was first published in 1964. It is known for being extremely hard to get hold of a copy, with them usually being reserved for a small number of Pirelli customers and celebrity VIPs.