Actress Felicity Huffman has agreed to plead guilty in the college admissions cheating scandal, apologising for having "betrayed" her daughter who unwittingly participated in the scheme.

The Desperate Housewives star, 56, appeared before a judge in Boston last week but did not enter a plea. On Monday Huffman and 12 other prominent parents announced that they will plead guilty in the scheme.

Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 (£11,500) to have an exam invigilator improve the result of her older daughter's university admission test, the SAT.

In her first public comments since her arrest last month, Huffman apologised and said she accepts full responsibility for her actions and "will accept the consequences."

She said that her daughter did not know about her actions, and added that her desire to help her daughter was "no excuse to break the law."