The former golf pro, 29, stunned fans with an incredible nude photoshoot in 2018.

8Paige Spiranac has opened up over her Sports Illustrated nude shootCredit: Instagram/_paige.renee8Spiranac posed naked for the magazine in 2018Credit: Instagram

And Spiranac admits taking her clothes off on her own terms helped to overcome a traumatic experience earlier in her life.

American social media personality Spiranac was left horrified when an ex leaked a nude photo of her.

But being able to pose naked for Sports Illustrated four years ago allowed Spiranac to take back the power.

Speaking on her podcast, Playing-A-Round, Spiranac said: “Winning in my mind was taking control of my body.

8Spiranac says the pictures enabled her to take control of her bodyCredit: Instagram8Spiranac felt empowered after an ex had previously leaked a nude photo of herCredit: Instagram

“I was nude, I was completely naked. That was the best moment for me.

“I felt so empowered and I was like, ‘OK, if I’m going to do this, I’m doing it on my terms’ and I took it back, I took my body back.

“That was the moment I won, right there, when I did Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and I had my t**s out.”

Reflecting on the horror she felt after discovering an ex had shared a private nude photo of her, Spiranac added: “It was horrible, just getting these random messages from people you don’t know and they’ve seen you in such a vulnerable way. It was disgusting.

8Spiranac is a former golf pro-turned-social media personalityCredit: Instagram8Spiranac admits her leaked pic has caused trauma

“When I finally confronted the guy and said, ‘I can’t believe you did this to me’, he said – and I’ll never forget this – ‘You are the sl*t who sent it to me, you deserve this.

“I would wake up every single day, I would check my phone and be like, ‘Am I going to be on TMZ today? Am I going to be here, am I going to be there?’

“That was the worst part. I was constantly stressed out that someone was going to see it and someone was going to get it and that it was going to get out.

“Also, that was one picture. I don’t know what else he had or what he was going to release. If he did it once, he could do it again and again and again.

“These little things kept happening where I was like, ‘OK, I think I’m over it’. Maybe a month will pass then it gets brought up again.

8Spiranac is a popular figure in the golfing worldCredit: Twitter @PaigeSpiranac8The American hopes her leaked photo issue goes awa

“And it gets brought up again, and brought up again and it keeps also reminding me of this guy and what he did to me and all of this trauma.

“Every life event was also tied into that, which was super traumatic for me.”