Vanessa Hudgens: Nude Photos Meant to Be Private

Vanessa Hudgens nude photos.

We've talked about them at length, but until now, the singer / actress herself has been relatively silent. As the pics hit the web, controversy swirled and many speculated that the High School Musical actress would be axed by Disney.

Fortunately, much like Zac Efron in bed (or so we've heard), reports of Vanessa Hudgens not returning for the next installment of High School Musical came too quickly. Vanessa talks about all this and more in Seventeen magazine...

Seventeen: How are you feeling about the nude pics, the whole scandal?

Vanessa Hudgens: I'm much better now. But truthfully I don't like talking about it. It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn't anymore, I'd still like to keep it as private as I can. 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. 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 along the way.

The Vanessa Hudgens nude photo scandal shocked everyone - Hudgens included.

Seventeen: Who told you the naked photo had been leaked?

Vanessa Hudgens: I found out from my manager. 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 if I was at home. But when I came back, it got kind of crazy.

Seventeen: How did you explain the situation to your mom?

Vanessa Hudgens: I was just open with her, and she was just so cute. She was like, "Well, everyone can be naked if they want to!" My parents are very supportive. They know I'm a teenager, and yes, kids do stupid things sometimes.

It's very unfortunate, though, because with the Internet these days, you don't have a personal life at all. Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you. You're not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you're around.

Seventeen: It's great that [Zac Efron] stood by you through all this. What's your favorite thing about him?

Vanessa Hudgens: He always makes me happy. He literally knows exactly what to do to make me laugh.

Seventeen: Do you ever think about the future with Zac?

Vanessa Hudgens: No. It's fun having a boyfriend. A cute friend who you like. It's nice. But only time will tell. I'm still young, and I have my girlfriends and I have my family. I think that it's definitely important to have balance. I think girls can be sucked into the relationship and give too much. They like to be so into their boyfriends, you know? And you can't do that, because you get too infatuated - and then you lose contact with your friends. It happens to a lot of girls.