Reality TV star Audrina Patridge has defended her decision to pose for a series of nude pictures after the shots were leaked on the Internet.

The 22-year-old was pictured topless in the photoshoot which took place several years before she shot to fame on Mtv's The Hills.

And Patridge insists she was just a naive young girl who was desperate to carve out a career as a model when she stripped for the saucy snaps, according to TMZ.com.

In a statement issued through her representative she urges other wannabe starlets to be wary of photographers looking to take advantage of fame-hungry young girls.

She says, "I took these photos years ago when I was just out of high school and beginning to model. I was young and very trusting of others and I didn't know to protect myself. It is a lesson learned, for myself, and hopefully for the young girls who look up to me."