It's 11.15am at Plums, the Hyatt Hotel cafe. Sitting before you is this lithe 1.83m hunk, just tumbled out of bed (but groomed). The coffee's steaming, his baby blue eyes winking nastily...
8 Days: Good morning Supermodel! What's that I'm smelling?
A: (tan face creases into dazzling smile) Coffee...er, do you want something to drink?
8 Days: Thank you, yes; and no, I mean, you're wearing something and I can smell it from the lobby.
A: you like it? It's the new Hugo Boss fragrance that I flew - Singapore Airlines, good flight - 21 hours here to launch tonight. Smells good, huh? I've been getting a lot of compliments for it. It's going to be good. The video's super.
8 Days: You'll get compliments even if you don't wear it - so tell me please, how do you keep so pretty?
A: I'm not pretty at all, I consider myself average-looking. Do you have to tape this? Well, I'm into sports anyway and I'm crazy about tennis. Tuesday night I had dinner with Monica Seles. Yeah, I also golf and snowboard. I used to competition ski but now, I competition snowboard. I don't go to gym. I think it's almost better running. It's easier to bring a pair of running shoes. You can run anywhere in the world to get the heart going.
8 Days: And it's part of the job, right?
A: it's for my own health! It's for my own good. Whenever I fell tired or feel bad, things always get better after running. That or I just pick up the phone and speak to some friends form home.
8 Days: Where is home?
A: Well, it's been really hard. Home has been a suitcase for the last couple of years. Now I have an apartment in New York and I'm based there. It's a great place cos's it is just a great melting pot of races, cultures and food. But I guess my real home will always be where I spend Christmas and that's Sweden, where I grew up and where my family lives and all my old friends are there. Home is worth living for.
8 Days: Home is where you can find a good dermatologist!
A: I use only soap and water.
8 Days: What soap? What water?
A: What do you have in the hotel? Whatever is there on the sink?
8 Days: And you make a fortune as the Face of Hugo Boss (and Guess? And Versace, and Tommy Hilfiger and Karl Lagerfeld, etc) What do you think with all the money if you don't buy skincare?
A: Well, I help out at home, and I've got an apartment in New York, and I got a couple of bikes, and one custom-Harley (Davidson). I love my bikes; I just never get the time to enjoy it. Oh, and last Christmas, I brought my whole family to Phuket - Phi Phi Island and all. That was memorable - lovely beaches.
8 Days: have you been to Sentosa?
A: I wouldn't have the time! I'm flying tomorrow. Got some things lined up but all very hush-hush.
8 Days: All this dashing around!
A: Not at all. I love my job! It's an amazing three years even when it's tough - like flying for 21 hours and losing a day - but here I am, in a different city! Meeting new people, seeing new streets. Most people in Sweden have never seen, will never see the places I've been to. I am grateful. I'm working with geniuses like Richard Avedon and Karl Lagerfeld and I've just been pinching myself to se that it's all real. Never do anything you don't enjoy! Read The Celestine Prophecy! It's all what you make it put to be. I haven't done anything I didn't enjoy!
8 Days: Never?
A: Never. I mean, I went into modeling straight from doing national service in Sweden. I was making US$2 a day, so I would say things are looking up a bit!