A British mixed-race ballerina has defended the Cats film amid claims it "whitewashed" her, saying skin colour doesn't matter when you're playing a cat.

Francesca Hayward, a principal ballerina, who plays Victoria the White in the Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation, sparked debate after a trailer was released depicting her with a face of white fur.

On Twitter, fans accused the film of hiding the 27-year-old’s natural skin colour.

“She’s black?!” Tweeted one user, with another replying: “Wow. You cannot tell. That's deliberate and terrible.”

Some have pointed out that other famous stars in the film, including Taylor Swift, are easily identifiable despite their cat-like appearance.

But Ms Hayward has spoken out to defend her depiction - telling the public not to “read into” the situation in an interview with the Sunday Times' Culture magazine.

“Obviously I would never have agreed to be a part of something that would change the colour of my skin had I been playing a human,” she said.