Leighton Meester Stuns in Cosmo UK

Leighton Meester may be overshadowed in the Gossip Girl universe this week by Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' secret wedding, but she still looks gorgeous (and backless!) on the cover of British Cosmopolitan‘s October 2012 issue.

Excerpts from Leighton's Cosmo interview below ...

On her style vs. her character Blair Waldorf’s: “I’ve never seen Blair with the same bag, coat or shoes twice. I don’t know anyone who had that."

"I had two pairs of jeans [when I was a teenager] that I rotated. I wouldn’t trust myself with a Prada brag! I didn’t even want to change for gym so I’d wear sweatpants over my jeans, then sweat around the track for an hour.”

On her awkward side: “If I’m not around close friends or family, I can get quiet and awkward, and it probably comes off as not very nice or just plain weird!"

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"It’s not meant to. I try to pull myself out of it but sometimes it’s hard for me to open up. In the past it was easier for me to trust people. Nowadays I judge pretty quickly: ‘You just want to be my friend because I’m on a TV show.’”

On makeup: “I don’t care if there are a million photos of me with no makeup. I love being able to walk down the street without it. We should promote women not having to wear makeup, or at least feel we can go out without it.”

For more Leighton, check out this SEXY Gossip Girl Season 6 premiere clip!