Jessica Gomes was photographed by Matt Jones in the Canary Islands, Spain. Swimsuit by Melissa Odabash.

Interview with Jessica Gomes

What was your reaction to getting into the Swimsuit Issue?

I was really happy about it. It's really exciting. I had heard a lot about other girls who had done Sports Illustrated and how it lifted their careers so I was really, really ecstatic and really happy about it. It's something I always wanted to shoot. Being in the magazine again is just as amazing because you pat yourself on the back and say to yourself, 'Yes, they obviously liked me because they booked me again.' And hopefully the readers liked me as well. I'm just so blessed and so happy to be a part of such a great team, and to be able to do it all over again, I'm just really appreciative.

In all honesty, is modeling really that hard?

I think any job is hard if you work hard at it and give it 100 percent. With anything in life you have to work hard, so modeling can be hard. It can be hard with the traveling and getting tired and being away from your family and friends, but it's such an amazing job because you get to travel and meet new people. For me, I felt my job is getting hard because I'm from Perth, Australia, and living in New York. It's a 28-hour flight and as I get more mature and start thinking about family, I get more homesick. Right now, I'm in Australia and I'm chilling out and loving it. It can get tough and stressful when your body is in different climates. But you know, all in all, it's a beautiful job not everyone can enjoy. You get to do amazing shoots and meet creative people and travel and experience different cultures. It really is a blessing that you have to take for what it is.

At what point in your career do you know you've made it?

I think I felt I'd made it when I got Sports Illustrated, especially at the party when you're speaking to all the reporters. That was cool. But you know, it's just my job and it's not as if I'm in the public eye. Walking the press line at the party was a first for me. I've walked red carpets but it was the first time people knew who I was and were asking me questions or filming me. You feel like you're meant to be there. It was the first time I walked a red carpet and felt like I belonged.

Happiness is...

Happiness is being on the beach and in the sun with my family and friends and being surrounded by people that truly care about me.

If you could change one thing in the past year, what would it be?

I sometimes clear out my closet and take the clothes to Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn. I remember clearing out my closet last year and I thought I shouldn't have thrown away that Roland Mouret tweed jacket. It was a nice jacket and I thought I wasn't going to wear it so I brought it to Beacon's Closet because I sometimes sell my clothes there. I brought it and sold it and I immediately thought I shouldn't have sold it. I liked that jacket.

What makes you feel sexy?

I love going to Korean day spas and getting a body scrub and an oil massage. After that I always feel smooth and my skin is soft, and I feel sexy. It takes about three hours and after that I feel sexy.

Who is your dream guy?

I like a guy who is rough around the edges and sweet on the inside. I don't like clean cut, but I don't want a bad boy either. I want someone who is sweet, loving, funny, artistic, cool, chill and healthy. It would be cool to have a surfer that's a city boy. Someone who can do both. I like that chill life but then I also love living in New York, so I need to find that kind of balance with a guy, too.

Do real guys have a shot?

Of course! A real guy isn't in the public eye so you can have a nice, private lovely relationship and it isn't plastered all over the tabloids with people gossiping about it.

How much attention do you pay to nutrition and exercise, or is it all natural?

I pay attention to it all the time. Nutrition and health are forever things with me. I'm constantly reading about nutrition. I go to a lot of detox retreats and I went to one in the north of Italy last year before I shot for Sports Illustrated. It was in Moreno and it was beautiful and they make you raw foods and you do detox spas and you see a doctor and nutritionist every day and they speak to you about nutrition. I try and exercise as much as I can. Sometimes it's hard because I have a busy schedule and I'm traveling and in different time zones and it's difficult because I'm tired, but I try and push myself to do some running and weights. Sometimes I'll get a trainer. Just recently I've been doing a bit of kick boxing because I've been in Korea. I've been training with a professional K-1 fighter. I've always tried to keep myself fit whether it be boxing or even dancing. I think health is important, and it's big part of my life.

If you had to play matchmaker for a day, what celebrities would you pair up?

It would be cool to see Beyonce and Denzel Washington together. That would be cool.

What meal do you miss from home?

My mom is such an amazing cook and I miss her cherry rice and Tim Tams, a chocolate biscuit in Australia. You can't get them in America. I miss Australian food and the fruit juices they have because it's so fresh and organic.

Every girl has her dating checklist. What are your top three deal breakers when dating?

I don't like it when guys are too forward and clingy. I'm also not into a guy who is messy.

What is your most memorable first?

I remember the first time I arrived in New York and I felt like I was on the show NYPD Blue. I couldn't believe it. I'm from Perth, Australia, and I couldn't believe I was going to New York and I remember walking around thinking I was on a TV show. I would see the sewage and smoke coming up from the street and I felt like I was on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the steam coming out of streets and police cars and yellow cabs. I would hear the accents of the construction workers and people on the subways and I felt like I was on a set of a movie. I had just turned 20 and it was all so surreal.

People have said I look like...

I always get Pocahontas whenever I put a band around my head.

The world's hottest athlete is...

LeBron James, he's a killer basketball player. I like the whole Portuguese soccer team, they're all really hot.