'We're very concerned': Fans fear for Iggy Azalea as she vanishes from social media for almost TWO WEEKS after nude photo leak - and doesn't even return for her birthday
Iggy Azalea's disappearance from social media for almost two weeks has sparked concern from her fans.
The Australian rapper deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts on May 27, just hours after unpublished topless photos from a 2016 GQ magazine photo shoot were circulated online.
The 29-year-old has now worried her followers after failing to return to social media for her birthday on Saturday - meaning she's been absent from the public eye for 12 days.
'We're very concerned': Iggy Azalea's disappearance from social media for almost two weeks has sparked concern from her fans
'It’s Iggy Azalea’s birthday and she still hasn’t reactivated her socials. The DESPAIR,' one fan wrote on Twitter.
Another pleaded: 'I love Iggy Azalea so much and I give her the best birthday in the world wherever she is. Come back to Twitter soon, honey, everyone here, we miss you!'
A third user penned: 'Happy birthday my queen I want you to come back. I miss you. We Azaleans are very very very very concerned about you.'
The leaked images, which were taken by photographer Nino Muñoz, show Iggy posing with her breasts exposed in nothing but a pair of white pajama shorts.
Concern: The 29-year-old has worried her followers after she failing to return to social media for her birthday on Saturday - meaning she's been absent from the public eye for 12 days
Iggy addressed the leak on Twitter on Monday , May 27, before deleting her account.
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.'
Scandal: 'I feel violated': She said she'd left 'blindsided' after topless photos she took for her plastic surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami in 2016 were leaked online last Monday
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.
Iggy concluded her statement by saying she planned to take a break from social media to escape the negativity.
Deleted: Iggy concluded her statement by saying she planned to take a break from social media to escape the negativity
Meanwhile, photographer Nino Muñoz issued his own statement via Instagram on Tuesday morning, writing: 'My heart goes out to anyone this situation has affected. I’m utterly outraged and will not rest until justice is served.'
'I'm outraged and saddened to find out that images of mine were stolen and published without my permission. There is currently an investigation underway. Posting these stolen images is illegal and anyone who has done so will be prosecuted.'
'I empathise with any discomfort that this situation has caused to anyone that is involved,' he concluded.
GQ Australia editor Michael Christensen said: '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.'
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.
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. That's just human decency and if it's hard for you to understand then you have a warped sense of reality,' she said at the time.
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
