Miley Cyrus says that as an adult she has come to realise how “harshly” she was judged during her childhood years.

The US pop star, 30, said that for years she had carried “guilt and shame around” due to media controversies and upset she had caused.

Cyrus, who rose to fame as a child on Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, is the daughter of US country star Billy Ray Cyrus and the god-daughter of Dolly Parton.

Despite her teen-friendly beginnings, the singer is now known for her rock ‘n’ roll vibe and often provocative performances.

Speaking to British Vogue, Cyrus aid: “I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused.

“Now that I’m an adult, I realise how harshly I was judged.

“I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realise that I would never harshly judge a child.”

Cyrus said she was “actually not an attention-seeking person” but had created attention by dividing herself “from a character I had played”.

She added that she would not want her life and career story to become “a complaint of being a woman in the industry”, however.

“I don’t need this to be a women’s empowerment story. I wear my empowerment at all times,” she said. “I don’t need to profess it.”

The singer’s eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, was released on March 10 this year.

The album’s lead track Flowers, released earlier in January, became Cyrus’ third UK number one.

Cyrus is the cover star for the June edition of British Vogue.

The full interview feature with Miley Cyrus is available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday, May 23.