Curtis defends Cyrus over topless snap

Jamie Lee Curtis has defended Miley Cyrus after the teen star posed topless for a forthcoming issue of Vanity Fair.

The actress claimed Cyrus should have been "protected" at the shoot, during which she was pictured wrapped in only a blanket.

Curtis said she could understand the 15-year-old's feelings after she recently agreed to appear on the cover of AARP magazine standing in the sea in a strapless dress. She was shocked when she later discovered that the snap had been digitally altered to give the impression that she was naked from the waist up.

She told People: "I too was a little embarrassed by my recent topless 'scandal' and the subsequent parodies.

"But I am an adult. I protected myself during the shoot and I can take the heat. I only wish that her guardians had protected her."

The 49-year-old added: "She is a young girl. She shouldn't have to deal with any of this. I know the integrity of Ms. Leibovitz and the magazine and I know there were people present at the shoot that should have been looking out to make sure that this didn't happen."

Cyrus has apologised to fans for the picture, saying it had not turned out how she expected.