Lady Gaga apologises for 'retarded' comment

Lady Gaga has issued an apology after using the word 'retarded' in an interview with NME when referring to people who criticised her 'Born This Way' song with Madonna's 'Express Yourself'.

In her statement she wrote, "I consider it part of my life's work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance," said Gaga in a statement released through celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. "To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional."

She continued: "Whether life's disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today."

Gaga's apology came after criticism from mental health charity Mencap.

Use of the word is monitored by The SocialChallenge.org. "It's really unfortunate when someone with as much influence as Lady Gaga uses that word," said Holly Roos, an advocate for TheSocialChallenge.org, and a mother of two children with Fragile-X syndrome.

"But through The Social Challenge, in just over a month, we've actually had hundreds of people tweet back with apologies, pledging not to use the word in the future. It's a great opportunity to make a difference, and I'm really glad to see that Lady Gaga thought better of her words, too."

Lady Gaga says she is aware now that her use of the word undermines the social causes with which she frequently associates.