"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus has issued an apology after posing for a racy photo shoot.
The 15-year-old actress was photographed by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz wearing just a blanket for Vanity Fair magazine.
Miley admits she now regrets the shots, which were intended to be "artistic".
She said, "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
The Disney Channel, who broadcast 'Hannah Montana', have also criticized the magazine saying, "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."
A spokesperson for Vanity Fair has defended the publication, saying, "Miley's parents and minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."
The article accompanying the pictures quoted Miley as saying the pictures are "really artsy. It wasn't done in a skanky way."
The controversial shoot is due to hit newsstands next week.
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