The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it received a number of complaints over the poster, which shows the former Camp Rock star “bound up in a bondage-style outfit whilst lying on a mattress shaped like a crucifix … in a position with her legs bound to one side which was reminiscent of Christ on the cross”.

Polydor Records denied that the poster, promoting the singer’s new album Holy Fvck, was offensive, the BBC reports.

However, the ASA ruled that the poster was “likely to be viewed as linking sexuality to the sacred symbol of the crucifix and the crucifixion”, which would cause serious offence to Christians.

The new record is Lovato’s first rock album, she told the BBC.