Australian rapper Iggy Azalea 'blindsided, violated' by nude photo leak

Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Photo / Getty Images

Iggy Azalea feels "embarrassed and violated" after nude photographs of her were leaked online.

The 28-year-old rapper has made a statement after topless photographs of her, which were taken during a shoot for GQ Australia in 2016, but never meant for publication, appeared on the internet over the weekend - motivating her to delete her social media accounts.

The 'Fancy' hitmaker insists that although she's "angry and surprised" the images have surfaced it's the "vicious" and "vile" reactions to the photos including lurid male "fantasies" that led to her deactivating all her social media accounts.

In a statement posted to her Twitter account before she deactivated it, she wrote: "I am a ball of negative emotions. I feel blindsided, embarrassed, violated, angry and sad. Not only because I did not consent to this - but also because of the vile way people reacted."

She continued: "A lot of the comments I see, from men in particular, sharing their thoughts and fantasises in regards to my body has honestly disturbed me. The outright wicked things people say is overwhelming and makes me feel like throwing up.

"If you've ever been humiliated before in front of family and those you care about, maybe you can relate to what I'm going through."

Iggy compared the leak to "a nuclear bomb" which "destroys you emotionally, but leaves a path of destruction in your personal life" and insisted that she "fully intends" on pressing criminal charges should she find out where the leak came from.

The pop star went on to explain that she felt "comfortable" taking the pictures at the time, including the topless spare shots, as she had assurances over what images would be published.

She said: "A lot of high profile women have shot covers for GQ with a strategically placed hand etc covering their breasts etc. I always felt they were very beautiful covers, so I jumped at the opportunity.

"[I] felt comfortable [on a closed set] to model for such a reputable magazine knowing only the images with my hands covering would be considered for print. I never consented to taking topless pictures for potential release, period."

-Bang! Showbiz