'They captured my true form': Curvy Ashley Graham fiercely denies claims she was 'slimmed down' on her sexy Maxim cover

Her history making cover of Maxim magazine came under fire from fans who claimed the magazine had used ‘too much Photoshop’. But ‘plus-size’ model Ashley Graham has hit back at the allegations after releasing a classy statement which denied any wrongdoing by the photographer or the publication.The size 16 (US 14) beauty explained: ‘I’m beyond proud to be the first curvy woman on the cover of Maxim. I was not slimmed down on the cover, and Gilles Bensimon did an amazing job capturing my true figure in all of the photos.'

GORGEOUS!!!

The brunette stunner continued: ‘This is another major advancement for curvy women, especially those who work in the fashion industry who are working hard to get the recognition they deserve. ‘I now encourage more publications and designers to put more diversity on their covers and runways.

Alleged photoshopped image

She concluded: ‘Let’s continue to show that beautiful bodies come in different sizes and they should all be celebrated.’ Drama began when the model, from Lincoln, Nebraska, proudly shared the magazine cover with her 1.5 million followers on Instagram - but they were quick to point out how different the model looked for the saucy shoot in which she holds just a white shirt to cover her modesty compared to previous shots.

Fans said the star looked much slimmer on the cover of the April issue of the men's magazine and asked whether the image had been Photoshopped, which they said 'totally defeats your message.'

Ashley also shared other images from the shoot, which were taken by the legendary photographer, including an image of her husband Justin Ervin squatting behind her as he cups her bare breasts with his hands.

But it was the cover image in particular which had fans on Instagram outraged. An Instagram user posted under the handle @Blissful_life15: 'Definitely Photoshopped. That's unfortunate after everything you stand for Ashley, your curves are gorgeous and Maxim should not have minimized who you are. Shame on them!' 

The Model and her husband

Culled from Daily Mail UK