11:57am UK, Wednesday February 04, 2004

Janet Jackson has apologised for her not-so-impromptu flash dance at the Super Bowl.

Apology for popping out

The US broadcasting regulator has begun an inquiry into her act with Justin Timberlake- dubbed "Nipplegate" - during which millions of viewers saw rather more of Ms Jackson than they were expecting.

She has now admitted that exposing her breast was not as spontaneous as had been claimed but says she did not aim to offend anyone.

In a pre-recorded statement, Jackson said: "The decision to change the Super Bowl performance was actually made after the final rehearsal.

"MTV, CBS, the NFL had no knowledge of this whatsoever and unfortunately the whole thing went wrong at the end.

"I am really sorry if I offended anyone, that was truly not my intention."

Despite the outrage, or perhaps because of it, the stunt set a new record as the event which drew the most internet searches in a single day.

And both Jackson and Timberlake have been allowed to appear at Sunday's Grammy awards ceremony.

The show will be aired on CBS, the network which broadcast the Super Bowl, but it has added an "enhanced delay" to "delete both inappropriate audio and video footage".