‘Swimsuit’ Stunner Kate Upton Says She’s ‘Still Not Confident in a Bathing Suit’

She’s been on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue three times. But Kate Upton is no bold beach bunny. Yes, the stunner still has her off days, she’s the first to admit.

“I’m still not confident in a bathing suit!” she tells Yahoo Style. “That’s why you eat healthy and work out, to feel your best. You always have struggles. It’s not like I always feel my best. Everybody has moments where they don’t feel confident in a bikini. It’s what we’re striving for: self-love. We work our way up. When I don’t feel my best, that’s OK.”

She’s engaged to Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander and is understandably sick of answering questions about her wedding. But one thing is for sure: Unlike Pippa Middleton, who reportedly took part in a pre-wedding fitness boot camp, Upton has no intention of losing weight before her big day. She doesn’t own a scale — and never has.

“Honestly, because coming from the fashion world, weight — when I first started modeling — was very important. How much you weighed, how much you needed to lose, whatever it was,” she explains.

Like most members of her profession, Upton was told to drop pounds. “Yeah. Maybe not like that, but they insinuated, always,” she says. “I’m not trying to be fit for a number on a scale. Whenever I’m happiest, I try to maintain that. I don’t need a number.”

In general, her philosophy toward her health and well-being seems admirable and enviable.

“Anytime you take something away, you’re always going to miss it and want it. I try to eat healthy and work out and keep up a healthy lifestyle. But if I want a treat, I allow myself that freedom,” she says. “I weight-train, which also really helps raise my metabolism and gives me the ability to enjoy food.”

Taking her dog, a boxer named Harley, on daily walks also helps Upton stay sane and Zen. Shockingly, when she’s with him, she says, she mostly goes unnoticed.

“He’s the best distraction. People are drawn more to him than me,” she says. “He’s so good-looking.”

She’s the spokeswoman for the Link AKC smart collar for dogs, which connects owners and their pets. When Upton travels, for example, she can track whether Harley got enough exercise and, via GPS, see precisely where he is at any given moment.

“Look at that face,” she coos of her 7-year-old canine. Once a year, Upton and Verlander go to the Bahamas and bring Harley. “Everyone was laughing because I was telling them how his personality changes. We go poolside. He’ll follow any good-looking girl who passes. The guy’s gotta flirt.”

Recently, Upton was snapped walking Harley in sweats paired with $900 Manolos. No big deal, she says, given that when nature calls, she listens. “When you’re a dog mom, it doesn’t matter if you’re going to an event or not. You still have to walk them,” she says. “They still have to go to the bathroom.”

And don’t get her started on those who don’t scoop after their pets. She recalls that one time, while she was walking Harley at home in Florida, a stranger approached her and thanked her. “I said, ‘For what?’ ‘For picking up your dog’s poop.'”

In person, Upton is gregarious and gorgeous. Her skin alone could launch a thousand ships. Her routine is fairly simple: She washes her face every night and tones it. “I try to take care of my skin,” she says. “I find good products. I just started using Dr. Diamond’s serum. It just came out. I just started doing it. It helps my skin stay good and clean.”

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