Tulisa Contostavlos has been named the sexiest woman in the world by men's magazine FHM.

The publication has finally revealed its '100 Sexiest Woman' list for 2012 and the 'Young' songstress and N-Dubz star is at No.1, after beating tough competition from the likes of Rihanna and Cheryl Cole.

Speaking about her impressive position on the list, Tulisa explained that it means a lot to her and she believes "in embracing being sexy":

"Thank you so much for voting for me. It's a true honour and definitely a lovely confidence boost. I'm proud of me and I am who I am. I know that I'm marmite and I wouldn't wanna be anything less or anything more, I'm just myself."

"The FHM shoot is without a doubt the sexiest thing I've ever done. I believe in embracing being sexy but I'm not one to agree with stripping off for the cameras, I like to be more subtle than that as these shots show. This is an award that will stay on the mantelpiece probably for the rest of my life."