'I'm outraged and saddened': Iggy Azalea's photographer Nino Muñoz breaks his silence after his topless photos of the rapper were 'stolen' and leaked online
Iggy Azalea's topless modelling photos from 2016 were leaked without her permission over the weekend.
And the photographer responsible for the images, some of which featured in a GQ magazine feature at the time, has now broken his silence on the scandal.
'I'm outraged and saddened to find out that images of mine were stolen and published without my permission,' Nino Muñoz said in a statement.
'I'm outraged and saddened': Iggy Azalea's photographer Nino Muñoz (right) has broken his silence after his topless photos of the Australian rapper were 'stolen' and leaked online
Nino continued: 'There is currently an investigation underway. Posting these stolen images is illegal and anyone who has done so will be prosecuted.
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'I empathise with any discomfort that this situation has caused to anyone that is involved.'
In a follow-up statement, he added: 'My heart goes out to anyone this situation has affected. I'm utterly outraged and will not rest until justice is served.'
Speaking out: 'I'm outraged and saddened to find out that images of mine were stolen and published without my permission,' the Chilean-Canadian photographer said in a statement
It comes after Iggy deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts on Monday, just hours after unpublished 'outtakes' from her 2016 GQ magazine photo shoot were circulated online.
The leaked images, which were taken by Nino but not intended for publication, show Iggy posing with her breasts exposed in nothing but a pair of white pajama shorts.
Iggy addressed the leak on Twitter before deleting her account.
'I feel violated': It comes after Iggy was left 'blindsided' when topless photos she took for her plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami in 2016 were leaked online over the weekend
She wrote: '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 hadn't seen other women's covers leak so I felt comfortable (on a closed set) to model for such a reputable magazine knowing only the images with my hands covering [my breasts] would be considered for print.'
Iggy added that she 'never consented' to having her topless photos released, explaining that 'it was my understanding... GQ do not print topless pictures.'
Vanished: Iggy's Twitter and Instagram accounts were deactivated on Monday, just hours after unpublished 'outtakes' from a 2016 GQ magazine photo shoot were circulated online
Full statement: Iggy addressed the leak on Twitter on Monday before deleting her account
She continued: 'There was no reason for anyone to have kept the outtakes from the shoot. I'm surprised and angry that they were not immediately deleted after the final images were selected.
'Today I am a ball of negative emotions. I feel blindsided, embarrassed, violated, angry, sad, and a million other things. Not solely because I did not consent to this – but also because of the vile way people have reacted.'
She went on to criticise trolls for making vulgar comments in response to the topless photo leak, saying that reading them made her feel physically ill.
Deleted: Iggy concluded her statement by saying she planned to take a break from social media to escape the negativity
Iggy concluded her statement by saying she planned to take a break from social media to escape the negativity.
Censored images from Iggy's 2016 photo shoot are still available on GQ's website, along with a story explaining how the topless photos were not intended for publication but were a 'birthday gift' for her plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami.
Dr Ghavami had performed Iggy's breast augmentation a year before the photos were taken, and the musician has praised his work in the past.
GQ Australia editor Michael Christensen said in a statement: 'We were very disappointed to learn that outtakes from a 2016 photo shoot which were not approved or intended for publication appear to have been stolen from the photographer.
'We understand an investigation is underway and join the condemnation of the publication of these images.'
Context: Censored images from Iggy's 2016 photo shoot are still available on GQ's website, along with a story explaining how the topless photos were not intended for publication but were a 'birthday gift' for her plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami
Meanwhile, it's not the first time Iggy has quit social media without warning.
Back in 2015, she deactivated her Instagram and Twitter accounts after she was body-shamed by trolls while on holiday.
'I don't care about being relevant. I just want to live my life,' she said at the time.
'That's just human decency and if it's hard for you to understand then you have a warped sense of reality.'
Déjà vu? Meanwhile, it's not the first time Iggy has quit social media without warning. Back in 2015, she deactivated her Instagram and Twitter accounts after she was body-shamed by trolls while on holiday
