Megan Gale's Most Revealing Cover Yet

Megan Gale on the cover of the May issue of marie claire, onsale now.

Megan Gale has given a behind-the-scenes look at her exclusive photoshoot for marie claire during a Sunday Night special.

The gorgeous model, who appears nude and pregnant on the cover, confessed she'd done a nude shoot before,, but was "25 at the time - not 38 and pregnant! When you're in your mid-twenties things are just perkier!"

In the end, it was Gale's mum who convinced her to do the shoot, stating simply, "What is it you're worried about?"

Jackie: You’ve just done the nude cover for marie claire. How do you feel?

Megan: Relieved, now that it’s over, but it was also quite liberating, as well as terrifying.

Jackie: What made you decide to do it?

Megan: Part of it was that I like the whole concept of celebrating the pregnant form and that iconic shape that so many women have experienced. The only reason I didn’t want to do it was perhaps being overly concerned about things that are out of my control and that may offend people. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to put people’s noses out of joint or create any kind of scandal.

Jackie: What got you over the line?

Megan: I spoke to quite a few people and I called my mum. I thought she was going to talk me out of it and then I could go, "Fine, I don’t have to do it." Instead, she said, "What are you worried about? What is it that you’re actually scared of?"

Jackie: And what was it?

Megan: I told her I was worried about what people will think or say; of any kind of backlash. She said, "You’re not going to offend your family. You’re not going to offend [partner] Shaun. Your friends will support you, I’m sure. So who are these people you are scared of?"

I said, "I don’t know, just people!" She said that’s silly - you’re worried about something that hasn’t happened yet and people don’t have to look at it if they’re offended. I’m like, OK, God, now she said I have to do it! She made complete sense.

Jackie: You’ve spoken out before on your feelings about women being interrogated, sometimes publicly, as to whether or not they are planning to have children.

Megan: I feel very strongly, very passionately about it, and not just because I’ve often been put in that position. So have a lot of women. The reason I have a problem with it is because, one, it’s super-personal, but two, you don’t know what any woman’s journey is. You don’t know whether she’s been trying for five years and can’t. You don’t know if she is being told by a doctor, “I’m sorry – you’ll never have children.” You don’t know if someone has just had a miscarriage. Or they might be going through IVF, which I’m told is very traumatic. So people need to treat it with a little bit of sensitivity.

Jackie: A little while ago on Instagram you posted: “You’re not meant to look perfect when you’re making a baby. Baby making is the perfection.”

Megan: Mmm, and can be fun! (laughing). Don’t put that in! By the way, that was a regram. Look, when you’re pregnant, it’s hard. I would be a liar if I didn’t say there weren’t moments where you are looking at your butt going, “Wow! That’s quite the booty I’m getting there,” and there is not much you can do about it. Pregnancy does transform your body in some incredible ways that you might like and some that are not ideal. It’s easier said than done, but you have to let the ego go, let the vanity go.

To read the full interview with Megan Gale – where she discusses modelling, motherhood and her new man, footballer Shaun Hampson - and to see all the pictures from her shoot, pick up a copy of the May edition of marie claire, on sale Monday April 7.