2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model revealed early: Irina Shayk

Though it wasn’t supposed to be revealed until tonight’s airing of The Late Show with David Letterman, a quick on the draw Rana Wardlaw was able to capture this picture of the brief billboard unveiling taped for the show, which she then tweeted for the rest of the world to see. (Click above photo to enlarge)

“I saw it from my office window,” Wardlaw says. “I work at a media agency called Starcom Worldwide. They unveiled the billboard for a few minutes to tape it for the Letterman Show and then covered it back up. I guess they didn’t cover it fast enough!”

In case you didn’t know, Irina Shayk is a Russian model and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend who has graced the pages of the S.I. Swimsuit Issue numerous times before. Congratulations to Irina Shayk for being the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model!

For those of you not familiar with Irina, here’s a quick reference guide. (Click to enlarge for more intensive study)