Rachael Ray Defends FHM Shoot: "I'd Do It Again Tomorrow" (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Rachael Ray spoke to "Nightline" co-anchor Cynthia McFadden recently, and she defended (among other things) her decision to pose provocatively in lad mag FHM.

"I thought if I'm gutsy enough to do this, this is a good thing for everybody," Ray said of being 35 and asked to pose in the magazine in 2003. "This is the everywoman, here she is. And I thought, what the heck? I asked my husband what he thought of it and he said, oh, kinda cool. And I did it and it was the most scared I've ever been and I wouldn't change a thing. I'd do it again tomorrow."

Ray also said her mother "remains furious" over her decision to participate in the shoot, and that she initially thought FHM stood for "Food and Home" not "For Him Magazine."

In the interview, which airs tonight (Monday) at 11:35 ET on ABC News' "Nightline," Ray also discusses the origin of her famous phrase "EVOO," defends her endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts, and explains that she is "not a chef."

See Rachael's FHM photos and Watch the minisode below or read more at ABCNews.com:

Some of Rachael's FHM shots below:

Transcript:

Cynthia: All right, I have to ask you about those pictures.

Rachael: Bring it! First of all, when F-H-M called, I thought it was food and home. I didn't even know what F-H-M was. And I mean I got the request from the P-R person.

Cynthia: I mean, I would be like oh, that's-

Rachael: The P-R person at Food Network said we actually have an unusual request from F-H-M magazine. And I thought about it-I think I was thirty-five at the time. Thirty-four or thirty five. And I thought about it for a while, and I said, you know what? This magazine has as young as seventeen, eighteen-year-olds in hottie bikinis, and these are all actresses, models, pin-up girls. I don't belong to any, even remote, club of theirs. And I thought if I'm gutsy enough to do this, this is a good thing for everybody. This is the everywoman, here she is. And I thought, what the heck? I asked my husband what he thought of it and he said, [giggles] oh, kinda cool. And I did it and it was the most scared I've ever been and I wouldn't change a thing. I'd do it again tomorrow.

Cynthia: Now I heard your mother told you not to do it.

Rachael: My mother was furious. Remains furious. You don't have to do that kind of trash, you don't need to sell yourself that way, blah blah blah. I was proud of it. And I would do it again, even though my mom would be really mad at me. I know she still loves me.

Cynthia: So no regrets. You sound like a-

Rachael: Not for a heart-not for a minute.

Comments

[danwc78]

02:13 PM on 04/01/2009

Rachael Ray and Cat Cora should host a cooking show together and then eat their creations out of each other. I would never leave the house again.

[Swatantra]

03:49 PM on 03/19/2009

OMG, I want to eat her pie. Please let me just taste it a little.
So delicious.

[inervcom]

12:04 PM on 03/07/2009

As a profession­al photograph­er for over 29 years I've shot it all. My wife and I watch Rachels show every day we can. She's my wifes favorite out of all the other cooking shows on the air. From my experience and in my personal opinion, Rachel is a very beautifull woman. From what I see she has a great personalit­y and is very genuine. Not knowing her personally I can't comment any further on this. I would like to just say I'm proud to see a confidant woman in a photo shoot. Woman around the world need to take a stand and be apart of any photo shoot . Take a page from europe and except your bodies as god created them! Show them off to the world with no inhibition­s or politcal reasons. America, lighten up, it's just the human form and should be photograph­ed in all of it's natural beauty! I would be honored to shoot with Rachel Ray any day of the year !!

[Juneauwhat]

11:30 AM on 03/07/2009

I just learned about this old photo shoot today. Tell me again how this is news? I learned to like Rachel's delightful show sitting home unemployed last fall. Now I see another facet of her personalit­y, albeit far tamer than what I see daily on other broadcast TV shows, and I like her even more.

I guess some will say I'm just another depraved male but my wife doesn't think so; she likes the pics as well. But she is Latina and in Latin media everyone seems to agree that almost any presentati­on goes better with a full bodied woman in the background if not presenting­. English language media seem to agree that human sexuality is only for teenagers and ad campaigns.

Vaya Rachelita, vaya

you go, girl.

[chipsahoy65]

11:13 AM on 03/07/2009

I think no matter what Ray does--its all done in good taste. I love her-she does no wrong. She is an asset to the show business world

[tomtom2143]

11:04 AM on 03/07/2009

I've used these photos several times, if you know what I mean.

[tigre]

02:32 PM on 03/06/2009

Rachael's a lovely woman - we didn't need the photo shoot to find that out.
You shouldn't hide your body, but unnecessar­y overexposu­re in public is a bad idea, because it attracts the wrong guy. Save that lovely display for your main guy, lucky as he is - he's got a fine woman that can really cook. Maybe she wasn't attached in 2003, but she didn't need FHM to find a man or affirm her beauty.

[stingerthesurf]

10:07 AM on 03/06/2009

Heres a few points.
1)How about the fact that the photo's were taken back in 2003.
2)Last time I checked, it is now 2009.
3)If she is STILL defending them wow get over it people.
4)If she is just NOW defending them wow that means NOBODY CARES!!!
5)She is not that hot to be in a mens magazine. She's okay but not HOT!
6)To be in a mens magazine you need to be HOT.
MOVE ON!

[Sean I]

03:22 PM on 03/06/2009

have you seen the pics? she is that hot. some people like Ginger. some people like Mary Ann. She's the uber Mary Ann. the one with the spoon and the chocolate, you don't like that? the one with the cherry pie, that's not hot? come on now.

[stingerthesurf]

10:03 AM on 03/06/2009

How about the fact that the photo's were taken back in 2003. Last time I checked, it is now 2009. If she is STILL defending them wow get over it people. If she is just NOW defending them wow that means NOBODY CARES!!!
MOVE ON!

[john77]

01:02 AM on 03/06/2009

Rachael seems to suffer from "delusiona­l female empowermen­t syndrome". This syndrome is associated with women, usually liberal ones. These women think that taking off one's clothes for a heterosexu­al men's magazine is "empowerin­g" and "gutsy". Darling, the only people you're empowering are sleazy heterosexu­al men who ogle your near nudity. The men are the ones who are empowered, honey.

[slr51]

07:05 AM on 03/06/2009

Well john77, honey - if you think Mrs Ray posing in outfits that cover way more skin than a swimsuit is "taking off one's clothes" that equates to "near nudity", then darling - you are the unempowere­d and uninformed one.

You should get out more.

... or maybe not. Perhaps it is doing a favor to the world if you stay in your cave.

[Reader451]

08:51 AM on 03/06/2009

LOL

[Proxy11]

11:59 AM on 03/06/2009

We get it John, your father touched you. It's okay, but what's not okay is you putting down women whom I want to sleep with; if only one time, am i right fellas.

[channelerchik]

11:51 PM on 03/05/2009

She looks cute. What's the big deal? A woman whose usually shown in the homemaker/­sister role isn't supposed to have sexual.ene­rgy? Whoever made up that rule (and the rule about only women under 35 or whatever age being beautiful) is now OUT. We obey you no more, period.

[strawbery58]

10:45 PM on 03/05/2009

I can not stand Rachael Ray. She makes good food but has a terrible personalit­y. But if the woman wants to pose for a magazine who cares? She looks good, it makes her money, whats the problem? Women can use their sexuality to their benefit to make more money and that is what she has done. No one can hate on her for doing that, especially if her husband already agreed.

[jugganaut]

09:19 PM on 03/05/2009

A, it wasn't particular­ly racy, and B, she's not that hot in the first place.

The only objection I'd raise about her doing the shoot is that she's only marginally good looking enough to do it in the first place.

[blee1607]

09:58 PM on 03/05/2009

I actually disagree, I think that she is actually very attractive­. I am so sick of those stick like models that the mags tell us are so hot, when in fact they look like boys, and it's nice to see a real woman with a real woman's body model in such a hot way. Say what you will about Rachael, but she knows who she is and is not going to be someone she is not. I think her voice, here attitude and her look is totally hot!

[jugganaut]

02:12 AM on 03/06/2009

Well that's the beauty of opinions on physical beauty. They're subjective­.

My opinion that she's only marginally attractive enough for such a photo shoot actually has less to do with her body than her face, although her body isn't particular­ly outstandin­g either. It isn't terrible, but it isn't great either.

I consider both her face and her body to be above average, which to me doesn't make for a hot photo spread. I've dated numerous women with prettier faces, and I'm no Adonis stud or anything.

[cperrius]

06:35 PM on 03/05/2009

the strawberry shot is sexy, except for her enormous man-hand.

[PeaceOnEarth62]

03:55 PM on 03/05/2009

Go Rachel. Love you no matter what.