Miley Cyrus’s father Billy Ray has denied reports that he erased Lindsay Lohan’s number from his daughter’s phone in a state of panic fearing she would be a negative influence.

The two Disney stars of past and present allegedly swapped digits at the Grammy Awards last month which were supposedly deleted by Miley’s over-protected dad.

However, Billy Ray has denied the reports, telling Ryan Seacrest on his radio show: “We love Lindsay.”

As for the Hannah Montana star wishing she had more friends, Papa Cyrus added: "I wanna be the person (Miley) wants to talk to. I just want to be one of those friends."