“I was thrilled!” says Genevieve of the surprising news. “At that stage I couldn’t tell anybody so I had to carry this massive and exciting secret around. I was over the moon. Winning this title is great for my career but personally it also means a lot to me as I’ve been working with FHM for a long time,” she says. “It does make me blush when anyone mentions my win, but then again the idea of what makes someone sexy can differ from person to person. I personally see the appeal of girls like Candice Swanepoel and Kate Upton – to me they’re very sexy.”

FHM magazine editor, Brendan Cooper said: “Genevieve has grown into a very sophisticated, sexy young woman. She’s very versatile and can do ‘blonde in a bikini’ on a beach with aplomb, but her real sexiness for me is in that her look harks back to classic beauties like Brigitte Bardot.”

Genevieve was born in Benoni, where she lived until she was twelve. The family then relocated to Scottsburgh, a small town on Durban’s South Coast. “At school I don’t think I was popular or unpopular. I was middle of the range. I think I grew into my looks late in high school and after school. I was quite a gawky-looking child and often teased,” Genevieve adds.

Genevieve entered a few beauty pageants during school but only started working as a model after school after meeting a scout at one of the pageants. Modelling since 2005, Genevieve moved from Durban to Cape Town in early 2006 to pursue her career. Her first trip abroad was for the 2007 FHM Calendar, which was shot in Mauritius. At this time Genevieve also started travelling within Europe for work. She attributes much of her success so far to her agent Marlon Stoltzman, who she’s been working with since 2009. “He placed me with my New York agency and helped me take my career to the next level. We decided it would be a good idea for me to spend more time in the US,” she says.

Genevieve recently shot an eight-page story for the July issue of FHM. “It was a wonderful shoot – we shot in Cape Town with photographer Steve Tanchel, and it was great to work with such a cool team. The lingerie was also very pretty. Shooting with FHM is always fun and always allows me to feel sexy and express myself,” she adds.

“A big thank you to everyone who voted for me, and thank you for your continued support over the years. I really do have the best fans and enjoy interacting with everyone – social media is great for that.” Fans of Genevieve can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/watch.genevieve and on Twitter @genevievemorton.

The July issue of FHM, featuring Genevieve and the rest of the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2012, is on sale now.