Cover Girl: Beyonce on SI?

I don't know about the rest of you, but seeing Beyonce land the cover of the coveted Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated definitely took me by surprise. Modeling a variety of swimsuits, including many from her and her mom's own fashion line, House of Dereon, the shoot took place in Florida.

"It takes a lot of guts. I'm really a shy person," the singer said. "But in my everyday world, as a musical performer, I'm playing a character. I had to tap that same character."

"It's fascinating how many careers it's made, or how many have been made of it," says Beyonce of the swimsuit issue. "They're always so beautiful."

To get her body swimsuit ready, Beyonce kept a careful eye on everything she ate. It was only made harder by the shoot being scheduled around Thanksgiving. "At dinner, I kept thinking: this extra piece of pie will show up," she says. "I always make sure I celebrate it up, but I was so terrified with every little thing I ate this year."

At the shoot, it was a family affair. "Kelly Rowland (of Destiny's Child) showed up. My mom was there; my nephew," she says. "Dad was going to come, but he said, 'Well, I'll, um, meet you in Orlando after the shoot. I'm not so sure that I want to see this. All my blessings; you're a big girl. But I'm not so sure I want to see it.' "

But dad had nothing to worry about. Beyonce says she's proud of the pictures. "These are photos I can show my kids some day," she says, "so I can say, 'See, momma was beautiful. Look how good I looked!' "

To see the rest of Beyonce's pictures and the other models, you can check them out right here.

Photos from SI.