Rachel Zegler apologies for dramatic reading of Britney Spears' tweets

Rachel Zegler has apologised for performing a dramatic monologue of Britney Spears' tweets about her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.

Over the weekend, the 40-year-old pop star took to Twitter to address claims made in her sister's new memoir, Things I Should Have Said, and comments made in accompanying interviews.

"Jamie Lynn ... congrats babe! You've stooped to a whole new level of LOW," Spears wrote in a Notes app screenshot posted on 14 January. "I've never been around you ever with a knife or would I ever even think to do such!!! The only knife I ever saw you with at home was cutting the biggest pieces of squash I ever saw in my life."

The West Side Story star quickly faced backlash when she posted a dramatic reading of the excerpt, with one user accusing her of taking the Gimme More hitmaker's "trauma and turning it into a self-tape".

Shortly after, the actress removed the video and issued a statement apologising for the monologue.

"Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Britney and am rooting for her always," the 20-year-old tweeted on Monday. "While I meant no disrespect whatsoever, I should have thought about how this could be perceived, and I'm so sorry for upsetting or disappointing anyone."

The star admitted that Spears' feud with her sister is "not a situation to be taken lightly" and that fans should be "lifting Britney up in this pivotal time."

"Thanks for hearing me out, and a big thank you to all who held me accountable," she concluded.