Vanessa Williams endured a lot of 'shame' over X-rated photos being leaked

Vanessa Williams was "so naive" early on in her career.

The 61-year-old star made history as the first black woman to be crowned Miss America in 1984 and is these days known for her roles in 'Ugly Betty' and 'Desperate Housewives' but endured a lot of "pressure, shame, judgment" in the early years of her career when X-rated photos of her were leaked.

She told People: "There was a tremendous amount of onus, pressure, shame, judgment.

"Had there been an internet to break back then. I took all that on as a 21 year old. It was global. You can fail quietly, but that was a worldwide fail.

"I look back at my 19-to 20-year-old self and think, ‘Oh my God you were so naive, so trusting, so vulnerable.

"In your mind you think, ‘I’m old, I know what I’m doing.’ I give myself grace now, but as a young adult, I beat myself up, like ‘I should have known better."