For 15 years this man was too scared to show his face to the world. Now he's on the cover of GQ.

This month’s GQ magazine will feature face plant recipient Richard Lee Norris.

Two years ago, the 39-year-old had a complex facial transplant, after a facial gunshot wound during a drunken encounter in 1997 disfigured his face.

Norris required a transplantation of his teeth, upper and lower jaw, portions of his tongue, and facial tissue from his scalp to the base of his neck.

And now, over a decade after the accident, he will make history. Because make no mistake, appearing on the cover of the prestigious GQ Magazine is a seriously big deal.

The Australian Women’s Weekly reports that before the transplant surgery took place Norris spent nearly 15 years secluded and scared to show his disfigurations to the world. But not anymore.

Now he will bravely reveal his new face to the world on newstands everywhere, and allow us all a moment to revel in the scientific breakthroughs that have empowered him to do so.

“A drop of hope can create an ocean, but a bucket of faith can create an entire world,’ Mr Norris said to GQ.

And with this cover, following off the back of Turia Pitt’s legendary covershot on AWW earlier this year, he may be right. Our faith in the celeb-obsessed mag world is slowly getting restored.

Bravo GQ.