Vanessa Hudgens has spoken out about the leaked nude photographs that resulted in one of the biggest scandals of 2007 – and threatened to derail her acting career.

The High School Musical star hit the headlines in September when pictures of her posing naked surfaced on the web.

Now Vanessa has opened up about the "traumatic" experience in a new magazine interview.

She tells February's issue of Seventeen: "It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened.

"I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions."

Vanessa reveals that she was warned in advance that the photos had been leaked online.

She continues: "We heard some story was going to break in the tabloids, and I was like, 'What?!?' A few days later, the picture came out while I was on vacation in Australia.

"Thank God, I wasn’t home - it would have sucked."

The Disney star insists she has learned a valuable lesson from the scandal.

"It’s very unfortunate because with the Internet these days, you don’t have a personal life," she says.

"Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you...you have to be aware of the people you’re around."