Tamara Ecclestone is ''proud'' of her naked Playboy shoot.

The heiress has stripped off for a cover shoot with Hugh Hefner's men's magazine, and appears on the front in nothing but a pair of heels, with her modesty protected by diamonds and a sprinkling of sparkling crystals.

Some other shots in the eight-page spread in the May issue include her wearing a revealing backless black dress, which is cut so low you can see her pert rear.

Tamara is delighted with how the images have turned out and feels honoured to have appeared on the same pages as beauties like Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy and Ursula Andress.

She told the magazine: ''I am so proud of this beautiful shoot. As a woman, I believe you have to embrace your body, and feel beautiful both inside and out.

''Playboy is so iconic, and for nearly 60 years, the magazine has featured some of the world's most beautiful women in its pages.

''I am extremely honoured to be part of this legacy as the magazine's May cover girl.''

The 28-year-old socialite - who is the daughter of Formula 1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone - is famed for her lavish lifestyle and her reality TV show, 'Billion $$ Girl'.

She follows in her mother Slavica's footsteps by posing for Hugh's publication, but insists she wouldn't have let the former model stop her should she have tried to make Tamara's shoot less raunchy.

She added: ''She'd be a bit of a hypocrite if she told me not to. I don't have a problem with naked.''