CHRIS IS OUR OFFICIAL HUNK OF BEEFCAKE; TAKE A BUTCHER'S AT MODEL SCOT Rugby ace is star of meat ad.

Byline: By Laura Coventry

RUGBY player Chris Capaldi is 100 per cent prime Scottish beef - and now he's going to be used to sell it.

The 28-year-old, who has given up his sports career in favour of modelling, will have his photo on buses all over Britain as "Glen", the face of Scotch Beef.

Chris, from Edinburgh, said: "I am delighted. It is one of the most high-profile contracts in Scotland and I am very excited about it."

He is also keen to point out that despite his Italian surname, which dates back to his great-great-grandad, he considers himself 100 per cent Scottish.

And he proved it at Tartan Week's Dress To Kilt event in New York last year by wearing a leather kilt and holding a pair of Superman pants in his hands.

He added: "Yes, that shows I am a true Scotsman. I have no issues with wearing a kilt.

"It is going to be strange seeing myself on the back of buses though."

Chris played for Boroughmuir in Edinburgh and the Scotland under-21 team before turning professional.

He was in the Scotland Sevens squad, which took him to Dubai and Hong Kong, and played for English First Division side Plymouth Albion.

Chris says he misses rugby but was struggling to combine playing and modelling.

He said: "It was part of my life for 20-odd years but modelling does require a bit of commitment and is quite hard work."

One problem was camouflaging the effects of injury. He said: "I have had a couple of close calls but the make-up artists have done an exceptional job."

CAPTION(S):

TASTY: Chris in the new ad campaign for Scotch Beef; STEAK TARTAN: Kilted Chris and, above, playing for Boroughmuir PAUL CHAPPELLS