Dallas Austin apologises to Joss Stone

Music producer Dallas Austin has apologised to Joss Stone and Christina Aguilera for making lewd comments about them.

A video in which Austin claimed that the singers sleep with music producers in exchange for songs was posted on YouTube last week, but has since been removed.

Austin, who has worked with Madonna, TLC and the Sugababes during his 15-year career, wrote on his website: "My statement about Christina Aguilera and Joss Stone was a reaction to an incident I care not to discuss in any forum and while I may have felt justified, I do owe an apology to Christina, Joss and their families.

"The comments I made... were purely an act of retaliation, not of malice or cruel intent. I sincerely apologise as this is not my character; nor should I have let anyone's actions push me to this limit."

However, Aguilera's representative Cindy Guagenti said: "She's not commenting on such ridiculous statements, and we are consulting a lawyer to explore her options."

Stone has yet to respond to Austin's comments.