Washington (CNN) Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday apologized for participating in a skit that involved blackface when she was a college student in the 1960s, offering "heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes."

Ivey said in a statement Thursday that she had been made aware of her participation in the skit through audio that emerged of an interview she had given alongside her then-fiance, Ben LaRavia, to the Auburn University student radio station in 1967

"Even after listening to the tape, I sincerely do not recall either the skit, which evidently occurred at a Baptist Student Union party, or the interview itself, both which occurred 52 years ago. Even though Ben is the one on tape remembering the skit -- and I still don't recall ever dressing up in overalls or in blackface -- I will not deny what is the obvious," Ivey said.

"As such, I fully acknowledge -- with genuine remorse -- my participation in a skit like that back when I was a senior in college."

Ivey added that "while some may attempt to excuse this as acceptable behavior for a college student during the mid-1960s, that is not who I am today, and it is not what my Administration represents all these years later."

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