Mark Wahlberg has apologised after saying things may have turned out differently if he had been on one of the planes that crashed on 9/11.

In a magazine interview, he said: "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did.

"There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'"

One widow of a 9/11 victim had called the comments "disrespectful".

Mark Wahlberg, who has appeared in films like The Fighter and The Departed, was meant to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2001.

After making the comments in Men's Journal magazine, the 40-year-old issued a formal apology.

"To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible," he said.

"I deeply apologise to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention."

The Oscar-nominated actor, who made his name in the music business as rapper Marky Mark, started acting in 1993.

He is now promoting his latest movie project Contraband, a thriller in which he plays a former smuggler forced to protect his brother-in-law.

He has also produced TV shows like Entourage, In Treatment and Boardwalk Empire.