Blake Shelton "not a homophobe", says friend

A friend of Blake Shelton has spoken out in defence of the country singer, insisting that he is not homophobic.

Last night, Shelton posted what appeared to be an anti-gay play on Shania Twain's 'Any Man of Mine' on Twitter.

He posted: "Re-writing my fav Shania Twain song.. Any man that tries Touching my behind He's gonna be a beaten, bleedin', heaving kind of guy... (sic)"

Following the tweet, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued a blog statement, demanding that the Voice vocal coach apologise for his comments.

"This is one of the judges on what's so far been one of the most gay-friendly reality shows on television. For him to make a joke to his 300,000-plus followers about leaving a gay man 'beaten, bleeding and heaving' is completely unacceptable," the group commented.

Shelton subsequently said sorry for the "misunderstanding" caused by the post, adding: "When it comes to gay/lesbian rights or just feelings... I love everybody. So go look for a real villain and leave me out of it!!!"

A source close to the singer told Us Weekly that the uproar was a genuine misinterpretation of Shelton's words.

"Blake is so not a homophobe. He really meant that from the perspective on Shania - it was just meant to be a jibe about someone grabbing her ass. He feels awful."

The insider added: "He's the nicest, sweetest and most down-to-earth guy. He's extremely gay friendly. The man loves The Golden Girls!"

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