May 09, 2008 - 11:11 AM

PORT PERRY -- Jayde Nicole has gone one step further then just putting Port Perry on the map -- she's landed her hometown on the centre-spread of one of the globe's most-read periodicals.

Selected as Playboy's '2008 Playmate of the Year', Ms. Nicole, 22, has not only spun the spotlight around on Scugog's homegrown beauties, but has returned to Canada, for the first time since 1982, the adult magazine's top honour. The last Canuck to hold the title of 'Playmate of the Year' was Shannon Tweed.

A graduate of Port Perry High School, Ms. Nicole's pin-up good looks landed her top billing in the first issue of the 2007 as 'Miss January' in the popular men's magazine. Now nearly 18 months later, the leggy, 5-foot-9 brunette has been selected as tops for 2008 and will be featured in a 10-page pictorial in the magazine's June issue, which hit newsstands on May 9.

In honour of her title, Ms. Nicole pockets $100,000 in prize money and has been presented with the keys to a 2008 Cadillac CTS. As well, a one-hour special on the 'Playmate of the Year' announcement will be broadcast exclusively on Playboy TV on May 18.

"If you asked me.... there's no way I would have predicted this. There was an opportunity and I did it and I'm so glad I did. It has completely and totally changed my life," said Ms. Nicole in early 2007, shortly after her first appearance in the magazine.

"If you stop to think about it, it's amazing. There are a lot of girls out there who really want to be a Playmate and to be in Playboy. I'm really glad the chance came for me to do this. It's feels awesome to become a Playmate. It's a totally different world once you're part of the Playboy family."

These days, Ms. Nicole owns a modelling agency called Jayde Nicole Inc., the same business she was managing before catching Playboy's eye about two years ago. She is also currently writing her own fitness and beauty book and has just finished filming a pilot for a reality television show about her life. Ms. Nicole has also appeared in 'Today's Bride' magazine and on the cover of 'American Curves'.

As well, last year she organized her second annual charity car wash, which helped raise money for the RED campaign to help fight AIDS in Africa.

Ms. Nicole entered the world of modelling at the age of six, a year before moving to Port Perry from Scarborough, where she graced the pages of catalogues and walked the runways at fashion shows. She took a sabbatical from the business at the age of 11, but was picked out of a crowd at the age of 15 while walking down the street near the Air Canada Centre by two members of a modelling agency.

The big boost in her career came late in the spring of 2006, however, when a Los Angeles-based photographer took notice of her while she was appearing at a conference in Las Vegas. After convincing the Port Perry native to join him in Florida for a bikini shoot in May, the photographer suggested she send along a few photos of herself to the men's magazine .

In July 2006, the call came from Playboy and, a month later, a test shoot was booked for the Los Angeles area. That experiment translated into a feature shoot for the first issue of 2007 and the title of 'Miss January' for the Port Perry woman.

As part of her original appearance in early 2007, Ms. Nicole was inked to a two-year deal, at the very minimum, to be associated with the men's magazine.

There will be a homecoming of sorts for the Port Perry native on May 14, when she will be on hand at the local Mac's Milk store, 1812 Scugog St., from 5 to 7 p.m. to meet and greet her fans and autograph copies of the magazine.