John Legend named sexiest man alive, predecessor Idris Elba says he deserves it

John Legend has been named the Sexiest Man Alive by a magazine and the Grammy winner says he is under "pressure" as he succeeds actor Idris Elba.

The 40-year-old musician was chosen the most desirable man for 2019 by People Magazine.

Legend said he is "excited" and a "little scared" about receiving the title.

"I was excited, but I was a little scared at the same time because it's a lot of pressure. Everyone's going to be picking me apart to see if I'm sexy enough to hold this title. I'm following Idris Elba, which is not fair and is not nice to me!" he told the magazine.

Legend also took to Twitter to share the news with his old photograph and tagged Elba in the post.

"1995 John would be very perplexed to be following 2018 @IdrisElba as #SexiestManAlive. Hell, 2019 John is about as equally perplexed but thank you @People