Maxim's top eye Candice

It was debatable how notorious headline-grabber and US singer Miley Cyrus clinched the top spot in Maxim's Hot 100 list last year.

This year, readers of the international men's magazine have regained their senses and voted for South African model and Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel as their top eye candy.

Swanepoel, 25, beat Esquire's 2013 Sexiest Woman Alive Scarlett Johansson and other beauties like US actresses Mila Kunis and Jessica Alba and models Alessandra Ambrosio and Kate Upton.

Is she deserving?

Many think so, calling her "near perfect" and "the definition of sexy".

Here are some interesting facts about the leggy blonde:

She raced to the top

At 15, she was discovered by an agency scout while shopping at a flea market with her mother in South Africa.

Two years later, she was strutting down catwalks in Milan and New York for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger and Bottega Veneta.

In 2010, she became a Victoria's Secret Angel and went on to be in the Top 10 of Forbes' top-earning models in 2012 and 2013. Her estimated annual income for last year was US$3.3 million (S$4.1 million).

She wore that famous US$10 million fantasy bra

You know you have made it when your customised fantasy bra is worth at least four times more than the one worn by popular Angel Alessandra Ambrosio in 2012.

Swanepoel famously had her breasts encased in the expensive bejewelled Royal Fantasy Bra at the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last year.

She joined the ranks of other Angels like Adriana Lima, Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bundchen, who have all donned the special fantasy bras in previous shows.

Swanepoel told People.com: "I've never worn anything this pricey and we have to put gloves on when we put it on. It's kind of a big ordeal. The bra comes with two bodyguards and we have to handle it with a lot of care!"

She is in a serious relationship

Swanepoel met her Brazilian model boyfriend Hermann Nicoli in Paris in 2005 and they have been together since.

She is ballet-trained

The graceful 1.77m-tall model, who took after her dancer mother, admits that it is a useful skill in modelling.

"I studied ballet when I was growing up. It has helped a lot with modelling because I think about all parts of my body, from my fingers to my toes," she told Marie Claire in their June issue.

If she had not ventured into modelling, she would have resumed ballet lessons or pursued a career as a veterinarian.

She chooses to lead a simple life

She told Vogue UK in March: "I know that my days of being in big cities are numbered.

"When you grow up on a farm like I did, you're always going to go back to that feeling... I'm looking for some fresh air and somewhere that I feel we are not ruining.

"It's scary to me to think how my children are going to grow up one day. With social media and everything, kids now don't even talk to each other.

"It's a very different life, so my kids - poor things - are going to be on a farm somewhere with me like, 'No video games! No TV!'"

This article was first published on May 24, 2014.
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