'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."

NYT/ Vanity Fair

The controversial shoot is due to hit newsstands next week.