'Sexiest man' says he has long been ugly

Blake Shelton was named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine, a first for any American country singer, prompting “The Voice” judge to shake off his shyness about his looks.

“I’ve been ugly my whole life,” Shelton, 41, said on Tuesday. “If I can be sexy for a year, I’m taking it!”

Oklahoma native Shelton spent a decade in country music before his popularity surged in 2011 as the wise-cracking judge and mentor to aspiring singers on NBC’s reality talent competition “The Voice.” His most recent album, “Texoma Shore,” was released this month.

Shelton told People he could not wait to tease his fellow “Voice” judge and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine with his Sexiest Man title, which Levine won in 2013.

“I’m not going to treat this like Hugh Jackman or one of those guys who’s humble about it. People are going to hate me over this,” Shelton joked.

The singer told People that while he tries to stay in shape and eat healthily, he does have a weakness for snacks.

Shelton was formerly married to country singer Miranda Lambert and has been dating pop singer Gwen Stefani for the past two years.

Previous title holders include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and David Beckham.