John Legend is Sexiest Man Alive for all of the obvious reasons (Those dimples! That voice! The integrity!) but there’s also some little-known, super hot reasons he’s earned top-billing this year.
The EGOT-winning star and Voice coach got candid in this week’s special issue, sharing all the swoon-worthy details of his life as a superstar, loving husband to Chrissy Teigen and doting dad to tots Luna, 3½, and Luna, 18 months.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Legend says of holding his newest title. But when it comes to the laundry list of reasons why he’s supremely sexy, the star’s got nothing to worry about.
RELATED: John Legend Is PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive 2019: ‘I’m Excited but a Little Scared at the Same Time’
Here are 10 sexy things you probably never knew about John Legend.
1. He knows his way around a steamy, piping hot clothing iron.
“I am very good at ironing. My parents were both tailors and so we grew up with them ironing clothes all the time and showing us how to iron. The first time I met Chrissy I was ironing my clothes because the video [for “Stereo”, where we met] was low budget. She walks in, I’m ironing and we say hi.”
2. Couch potato he is not. Legend is always up for a night out on the town.
“I like to get dressed up sometimes. Sometimes it’s cool to just chill at the house, but I like when we get dressed up and go out, make a night of it,” he says. “Quiet restaurant, Italian food and some good wine. I’m very happy.”
Watch the full episode of Sexiest Man Alive Cover Story: John Legend, streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device.
3. His demeanor is cool, calm and collected pretty much all the time.
“I don’t have a lot of high emotions or low emotions,” says Legend of being generally even-keeled. “I think most of the time that’s good for our relationship, but I think Chrissy gets annoyed every once in a while and wants to see more emotion out of me.”
4. Like his wife, he’s got skills in the kitchen.
“I’m pretty good at cooking. Chrissy has obviously got two cookbooks and a kitchenware line, but I do a lot of the cooking, especially on the weekends. I make breakfast and often make dinner,” explains Legend. His award-worthy dish? “Oh my mac and cheese is so good. It’s a winner. I stand by it.”
5. He is more than happy to watch 90 Day Fiancé — that is, if the game isn’t on.
“I like watching reality TV and eating ice cream with Chrissy sometimes. I’m into 90 Day Fiancé. It’s really entertaining. Chrissy watches a lot of Housewives shows, but I enjoy shows where people are in newer relationships because I feel like it’s more interesting. You’re like, ‘How did they end up together?'” Still, his Sundays are for football. “I could watch football all day. So sometimes we have the reality show on the TV with the sound up and football on my laptop with the sound down so I can still see what’s happening. Marriage is about compromise.”
6. He keeps his bedroom attire to a minimum — a very bare minimum.
“I don’t really wear clothes to bed. If anything, I’ll wear underwear, occasionally a t-shirt. But most of the time, no,” says Legend. “When we didn’t have kids, Chrissy and I, when we had an apartment, we would walk around naked a lot. But now I rarely do anything naked other than go to sleep and take a shower.”
RELATED: John Legend Reflects on Facing Discrimination — and What It’s Like Being in an Interracial Marriage
7. He knows how to compliment a woman.
“I compliment women on their hair a lot,” he says. “It’s a great way for women to express themselves and their individuality. If it looks cool and if they changed it I like to compliment them on that.” But when it comes to the sexiest part of a woman, he’s got the right answer there as well. “It depends on the woman because I think every woman’s sexiest part can be different.” He adds, “Chrissy has very sexy legs though. I’m a fan.”
8. Even the person he gets mistaken for is pretty sexy.
“I’ve been mistaken for Pharrell. Particularly when ‘Happy’ and ‘All of Me’ were big, which was around the exact same time, certain people would come up and be like “I’m so happy to meet you!” explains Legend. “They really thought they were doing this great pun, but it wasn’t my song. It was Pharrell’s.”
9. He knows the way to a toddler’s heart.
“I keep snacks in my car,” says Legend of how he stays prepared when traveling with Luna and Miles. “I have children and every once in a while, to shut them up, you gotta give them a snack.”
10. And for his kids, there’s nothing he won’t do … including learning to swim at 40!
“The kids started taking lessons and I wanted to be fully confident in the water,” says Legend of what prompted him to pick up is latest new skill, which he showed off in his pool during PEOPLE’s photo shoot. “I was afraid when I was a little kid, that’s why I didn’t follow-up on lessons. So I decided now’s the time to learn.”
For more on the Sexiest Man Alive – and all the hottest guys in Hollywood – click here and pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands now.
