Former American Idol contestant Antonella Barba has spoken out about the racy photos of her that were published on the internet.

The pictures show four women posing topless at the beach and a woman engaged in a sex act.

Anonymous postings allege that Barba is pictured in the photographs, but the 20-year-old insists that she is not depicted in the raciest of the pictures.

She told People: "The pictures that have been released of me – the ones that actually are me – they were very personal and that is not how I intended to portray myself. I'd rather promote myself in a more classy way. And, again, that was private – that was not for the public eye."