The annual online 'ceremony' announced yesterday the ten most beautiful persons in the world. They were not nominated and voted according to the now classical stereotypes, but only famous people whose beauty is unique and who feel good about themselves as they are (without the aid of plastic surgery and other modern techniques) were taken into consideration.

The number one position of the top was occupied by the Italian actress Sophia Loren, who got the majority of the 1,578 votes.

She is considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world, even if her age is verging on 72. Loren is an open critic of plastic surgery and the fact that she flatly refused to have her nose corrected is well known.

Sophia's secret for almost ever lasting beauty lies in 'a love of life, spaghetti and the odd bath in virgin olive oil', as she said a while ago. It's all about being natural, her image seems to always say. Even the Archbishop of Genoa acknowledged the actress' charms when he talked about the Church's opposition to human cloning: 'an exception might be made in the case of Sophia Loren'.

She was seconded by George Clooney, who is still considered by many as the most handsome actor in Hollywood. Runners-up included Catherine Zeta-Jones, Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Kate Winslet.