As fans welcome the return of Gossip Girl, Rolling Stone features its beautiful female stars in a provocative pose on their latest cover.

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester - who play spoilt teens Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf in TV show - ditch their 'sweet' image for a saucy shoot which features both girls seductively sharing a strawberry ice cream.

Regarding the shoot, Blake said she had no idea what to expect: "They didn’t tell us anything about the concept.

"We didn’t know we'd have any props, but we saw this big fun table — like a kid's birthday party.

"Um, some of it was a little mature for a kid's birthday party. Some of the ... inflatable items. But it's all been a surprise; it's been really fun."

Rolling Stone is famous for its sexually-charged shoots, including a butt-baring Jennifer Aniston, a naked Christina Aguilera and a scantily-clad Britney Spears.

See some more hot celebrity magazine covers