Ashley Graham's faith stops her going "crazy"

She said: "I come from a Christian background, and when I moved to New York, I got away from God. Then I realized that living here, you need something to keep you grounded or you'll go crazy."

And Ashley is always mindful of the fact church elders follow her career, so she won't do anything that compromises her beliefs.

She told Britain's ELLE magazine: "When I'm shooting lingerie or Sports Illustrated, I'm aware that my pastor follows me on Instagram. You should be the same person from the moment you wake up to when you go to bed."

The curvaceous beauty has always been body confident, and even felt "sexy" when she hated the way she looked on the outside.

Asked if she's always been body confident, she said: "I have, yes. My problem though, was I kept getting bigger because I wasn't taking care of my body. I wasn't working out. I was eating whatever because I was in this category - 'plus size' - and it got out of control. I started hating my body, but I never hid it with clothing because I always felt sexy inside. The moment that I started respecting myself, my clothes changed."

Ashley recently admitted she was initially reluctant to date Justin because he wasn't her "type".

She said: "I joined a church. I didn't go there to find a boyfriend; I truly wasn't looking for anyone other than the person I wanted to be.

"One Sunday my volunteer position was to stand in the elevator welcoming people, passing out candy, and pushing the button to the eighth floor.

"When two tall men walked in, I didn't bat an eye. One nudged the other and said, 'If you don't talk to her, I will.' His friend left the elevator, but he stayed on. I shrugged. This guy wasn't my type. With his short hair, ill-fitting, baggy Old Navy jeans, white Hanes T-shirt, and Converse sneakers, he exuded a major nerd factor.

"But there was something sweet about Justin, and I was at church, so I had to be polite.

"He rode up and down with me a few times, and he seemed to be looking into my soul when we talked. He was smart and funny and had travelled the world. So I agreed to go out for coffee."