Rosie Huntington-Whiteley topped list of the 100 Sexiest Women

The model-and-actress - who topped Maxim`s Hot 100 list earlier this week - denied Cheryl Cole the top spot for the third year in a row and beat off competition from Katy Perry and Rihanna, who placed second and third respectively in the British publication`s annual poll.

Rosie - who is dating actor Jason Statham - said: "Wow. Thanks for voting guys, I`m so flattered to be FHM`s Sexiest Woman in the World. This is a really exciting year for me and I hope you all enjoy `Transformers 3`."

Completing the top five were Megan Fox - last year`s runner up - in fourth place and `TRON: Legacy` star Olivia Wilde.

Last year`s winner Cheryl dropped out of the top 10 completely, falling to 12th place on the list.

Instead, the rest of the top ten comprised Brooklyn Decker, Marisa Miller, Kelly Brook, Nicole Scherzinger and Irina Shayk.

Stuart Hood from FHM commented: "Strong showings from Katy Perry, Rihanna and actress Olivia Wilde give this year`s poll a very American flavour, while the high rankings of less widely known swimsuit models Brooklyn Decker and Irina Shayk highlight either just how internet-savvy British men have become or just how obsessed with WAGs we still are. Decker is married to American tennis star Andy Roddick and Shayk dates Cristiano Ronaldo."

Among the 31 women who dropped completely off the list were Jennifer Aniston - the first time she has not featured in the list since 1996 - Sienna Miller, Lily Allen and Charlotte Church.

The newest member of the royal family, Princess Catherine, was a re-entry to the list, ranking at number 39, down from her previous appearance at 25 in 2007, while Prince Harry`s on/off girlfriend Chelsy Davy was placed at 96.

sections: Celebrities