PICTURED here is an innocent teenager with her life ahead of her, unaware that in two years' time she would be plastered over the front pages of tabloids and described as a "voice of hate".

Lucy Buchanan, now 18, was photographed as a member of the York junior tennis team.

She was still at St Peter's School in the city then and had all the advantages a private education brings - including access to professional sports coaches and facilities including an indoor swimming pool, boathouse and tennis courts.

Extra-curricular activities available to senior pupils include mountaineering.

But, only 18 months later, she provoked a media storm with an outburst on the Channel 4 reality TV show Shipwrecked, which saw her insulting black people, fat people, ugly people and lesbians as well as supporting slavery and admitting she is racist.

Media watchdog Ofcom has received more than 430 complaints and the Commission For Racial Equality is keeping a close eye on the show, which is being screened on Sunday evenings.

Meanwhile, Lucy's parents have apologised on behalf of their daughter and defended her. In a statement David and Nicola Buchanan, who now live in Edinburgh, said: "As Lucy's parents, we were both distressed to see her make such loose remarks which clearly have been, quite rightly, seen as wholly inappropriate and lacking in forethought.

"Lucy has been brought up in a loving and caring home. She has been privately schooled as is already known. By definition, she has had advantages in life, which mean that she has been cosseted in a way that for most children is simply not available to them. It is our firm belief that Lucy, as a naive teenager, made these silly and very unfortunate remarks on the back of her excitement at being on Shipwrecked."

They added that teenagers will often make naïve remarks when among their peers but, in this case, Lucy's views had been challenged by the other contestants, most of whom are older than her. Because of this, they said Lucy had transformed and become an accepted member of the Shipwrecked cast with reformed views.