Karolina Kurkova shows off her belly button at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show at the Kodak Theatre in HollywoodLOS ANGELES, Calif. — It takes a lot of things to be sexy – but apparently a belly button isn’t one of them.
E! entertainment television has just named supermodel Karolina Kurkova the sexiest woman in the world.
In earning the honor, the Czech-born beauty beat out fellow Victoria’s Secret models Giselle Bundchen, Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum, who placed fourth, sixth and seventh on the list, respectively.
“Karolina is flattered to have been named Sexiest Woman in the World by E!” a rep for the model told AccessHollywood.com. “As she delves into the motion picture industry with her upcoming role in ‘G.I. Joe,’ she appreciates the support E! has given her.”
Kurkova will play the role of Cover Girl in Paramount’s upcoming “G.I. Joe.”
Dubbed by E! as, “she of the mysterious belly button,” much has been made of Kurkova’s noticeably smooth – almost invisible – navel.
According to the model’s rep, Kurkova does not have a belly button, due to an abdominal operation as an infant.
Buzz over Kurkova’s unique abdomen began to build recently, following a Victoria’s Secret photo shoot in Miami, which featured the 24-year-old model in a bikini and sporting a seemingly absent navel – a departure from some of her shoots in the past, which have showed her with a navel.
Kurkova’s rep confirmed her lingerie and swimsuit photos are often altered to include an image of a navel – a practice that the rep said is typical in the industry when needed.
Belly button or not, there’s no denying Kurkova’s sex appeal – and her success speaks for itself, as Forbes has ranked her as one of the world’s highest-paid models.
And while Kurkova has been dubbed sexy, she has her own idea of what sexy really means.
“A guy who’s not afraid to cry or be vulnerable and show his softer side,” she told AccessHollywood.com in a previous interview.
Second place on E!’s sexiest list went to Israeli model Bar Rafaeli, who has been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Coming in third was Angelina Jolie, while Tom Brady’s babe, Bundchen, finished fourth and Scarlett Johansson rounded out the top five.
The complete top 10 of E!’s Sexiest Women In The World:
1. Karolina Kurkova
2. Bar Rafaeli
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Gisele Bundchen
5. Scarlett Johansson
6. Adriana Lima
7. Heidi Klum
8. Penelope Cruz
9. Manuela Arcuri
10. Shakira
