High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens says she wouldn't take back the nude photo scandal if she could because it helped her grow as a person. The Mirror reports:

“I think that everything happens for a reason and I wouldn’t take back anything I’ve done,” she says. “I don’t like talking about it because it was something that was meant to be private and I’d still like to keep it as private as I can.

“It was very traumatic and I was extremely upset it happened, but I wouldn’t have been able to get through it if it wasn’t for my family, friends and fans who supported me all the way.”

Vanessa was 18 when the provocative pictures showing her posing naked and in skimpy lingerie appeared. She publicly apologized and, despite speculation she would be dropped from High School Musical 3, Disney, who referred to it as a “lapse of judgment”, kept her in the cast.

“I feel that I’m growing up and I’m learning,” smiles Vanessa, now 19. “I’m in control of what’s happening next. At times it’s been hard, but I feel so lucky to be where I’m at now.”

You've got to hand it to the girl. For a 19-year-old she's already mastered the art of the spin. What she's really saying is that while it was embarrassing to have her nude photographs posted all over the web, it was completely worth it because it made her a much bigger star in the long run and raised her profile. When teenage boys are jerking off to your pictures, they're a hell of a lot more likely to remember you.

She also makes sure to mention how much she hates talking about it right before discussing the issue in greater detail. Nicely done.

What pisses me off about this whole thing is Disney. First they make her apologize for taking private photos as if she leaked them herself (remember girls, posing nude is never a bad thing), and then they act like they were going to fire her from the next film because of the bad publicity. My ass. Disney may have a squeaky-clean image to maintain, but you know somewhere right after this all went down a bunch of shareholders were celebrating the extra exposure for one of their biggest moneymakers. They'd have Ashley Tisdale do a sex video if they thought it would help their bottom line, so do us all a favor and cut the sanctimonious crap.

Here are some photos of Vanessa and boyfriend/co-star Zac Efron at the US Weekly Hot Hollywood Issue celebration, and together at the beach on vacation last year. I know it's become popular to bash on Zac Efron and question his manhood, but in his defense, I just want to point out to all of the guys out there that Efron is hitting that and you aren't.