Gwyneth Paltrow Talks 'Most Beautiful Woman:' ‘I Thought Someone Was Playing A Joke On Me’

Gwyneth Paltrow might have been crowned the world’s Most Beautiful Woman by People magazine, but she’s not letting it go to her head. In a televised interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Paltrow revealed that not only was she floored by the honor, initially mistaking it for a joke, but also had some jitters about wearing the ultra-sheer Antonio Berardi gown that made waves at the "Iron Man 3" premiere earlier this week.

“My publicist of like 22 years, Stephen Huvane, sent me an email,” Paltrow said of first receiving the news about the People honor. “And honestly I was like this is a joke. I reread it three times. I was like oh, he sent this to the wrong client. Like there’s no way.”

“My name wasn’t on it ... I was like, oh this is not for me and it was actually psychologically interesting because for a minute I really thought that someone was playing a joke on me,” she said, adding, “I talked about it with my shrink.”

Paltrow, who also recently topped another list -- the less prestigious list of Hollywood’s 20 Most Hated Celebrities -- admitted that she was a little less than confident when she appeared at the premiere of “Iron Man 3” in her now-infamous sheer paneled dress. “Yeah, oh, I kind of had a disaster,” Paltrow said. “I was doing a show and I changed there and I went I couldn’t wear underwear. I don’t think I can tell this story on TV ... ”

“Well, let’s just say everyone went scrambling for a razor,” Paltrow continued. “So I went from being the most beautiful to the most humiliated. In one day… I work a '70s vibe. You know what I mean?”

Not everyone supported Paltrow’s pick for the coveted People title. The Los Angeles Times’ Robin Abcarian criticized the choice, calling it “horrible for girls.”

“I certainly don’t blame Paltrow for the pernicious effect her People designation will have,” Abcarian wrote. But she added, nonetheless, that by bestowing their highest honor on someone “very blond, very tall and very thin” People magazine was, “in its quest for buzz… doing a disservice to girls.”