Candice a home girl at heart

Supermodel and Victoria's Secret angel Candice Swanepoel swapped her lingerie for jeans during her new shoot for Woolworths in Cape Town yesterday.

Swanepoel returned to Cape Town from New York on Sunday to shoot the new campaign for Woolworths RE: Jeans brand.

The stills and TV campaign were shot yesterday and the advert will air on South African screens on April 20.

It's the second time Swanepoel has modelled for the brand.

She said yesterday: "I had a lot of fun shooting for them last year and I really enjoyed that they included Save the Rhino and Operation Smile, so it's more than just a job."

Swanepoel said she respected the Woolworths decision to make its clothing more sustainably.

"I respect that such a big company is thinking about these things. Nature is giving us so many signs that we need to change."

Swanepoel, who is ranked No 9 on the Forbes list of top-earning models, has been modelling for 10 years, and has lived in New York for eight of those.

Her blonde hair, blue eyes and flawless skin have landed her contracts with Victoria's Secret and Max Factor and have seen her walk the runway for some of fashion's biggest names.

While she said she has no idea whether her future would see her returning to South Africa for good, she said she missed her home and family.

"My family is the thing I miss the most. I miss having a more personal relationship with my parents - things like having lunch with my mom and talking about girl things. I'm sad that my mom doesn't get much of that."

Swanepoel grew up on a farm in Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal but her parents have since moved to Cape Town. She flew into town a day early to spend time with them.

Swanepoel said she often struggled with the attention and tabloid headlines.

"I've had a few horrible incidents. When things aren't true, it's hard to accept it," she said.

"Sometimes I wish I could go about my normal day being invisible or just blending in."

In its profile of Swanepoel on its website, Forbes mentions her love of the Instagram selfie.

Swanepoel said the keys to the perfect selfie were "to have fun with it and not think about it too much. And face the light".