Miley Cyrus thanks Joan Jett for `never apologising`

The 18-year-old former Hannah Montana star used Jett's I love Rock and Roll for her Disney audition. She nominated the singer as her hero for V Magazine and told her that she admires that way that she doesn't care what anyone thinks.

'People see me as this perfect Disney star, and the moment I put out a record that says 'I'm not 11 years old anymore,' people look down on me,' she told Jett, 52. 'That's why I have always looked up [to] you. When you came out people were shocked that there was a chick that wanted to rock as hard as the guys.

'I love that you never apologised for who you were. It's something I had to learn... I'm sick of feeling as if I owe someone an apology for being who I am.'

And Jett sympathised with how hard life for Miley must be, growing up under the constant glare of the public.

'I was thinking to myself... how difficult it must be to lead your life as a teenager with the paparazzi and the amount of press you're surrounded by,' Jett said. 'I thought to myself, 'Wow that was kind of a blessing that we didn't have that stuff when I was growing up in The Runaways.' '