Miley Cyrus, the 15-year-old television and pop music sensation revered by little girls around the world as Hannah Montana has apologised for a recent racy photo spread of her published this week in a popular glossy magazine.

"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," Cyrus wrote in an apology posted on Sunday on the online edition of People magazine.

The artsy, skin-revealing shots include a picture of Cyrus, draped in a sheet, with her naked back exposed, looking alluringly at the camera.

The photo provocative photo spread threatens to sully her fresh-scrubbed, good-girl image, and could raise doubts about whether she is an appropriate role model in the minds of parents of her impressionable young fans.

She also expressed regret about another series of photos in which she appears partially-clad that have been circulating on the Web.

"The pictures of me on the internet were silly, inappropriate shots. I appreciate all the support of my fans, and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect," she said of the photos taken by celebrated photographer Annie Leibovitz.

"I never intended for any of this to happen and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone," Cyrus wrote.

"Most of all, I have let myself down. I will learn from my mistakes and trust my support team. My family and my faith will guide me through my life's journey."

Cyrus is the star of the wildly popular 'Hannah Montana' television series, produced by Disney, a magnet for legions of pre-teenaged fans in the lucrative "tweens" consumer market of preadolescent girls "between" childhood and the teenaged years.

Millions of viewers between the ages of six and 14 watch the weekly show, which also stars her real life father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, previously best known for singing 'Achy Breaky Heart'.

The photo spread appears as part of a major publicity push for Miley Cyrus' sold-out pop music concert series and coincides with the announcement of a billion-dollar deal to publish her memoirs, to appear next spring.