ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Actress Lindsay Lohan has claimed she was asked to remove her headscarf at Heathrow Airport and was "racially profiled" by security staff.

The Mean Girls star spoke of her shock surrounding the incident during an interview with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday.

She explained how she had been “asked to remove her headscarf” by security staff at the airport as she queued for a flight to New York after travelling from Turkey.

Lohan said: “When I was flying to New York recently, I was wearing a headscarf and I got stopped at the airport and racially profiled for the first time in my life at Heathrow Airport.

“She opened my passport and saw ‘Lindsay Lohan’ and started immediately apologising but then said, ‘Please take off your head scarf’.”

The Parent Trap actress explained she removed the item and said: "It was ok."

However, she then went on to share her sympathy with other woman who “don’t feel comfortable” removing their headscarves in public.

She added: “What scared me at that moment was, how would another woman who doesn’t feel comfortable taking off her headscarf feel…that was really interesting to me.

“I was in shock. It was jarring.”

When asked if the request “freaked her out a bit”, Lohan replied: “It did, I’m from New York, I was born and raised there so I was a little intimidated.”

During the interview, which was praised by fans on Twitter, Lohan said she had been studying Islam but did not confirm if she was planning to convert to the religion.

She told Susannah Reid: “Out of respect to certain countries that I go to, I feel more comfortable acting the same as the other women. That’s just a personal respect issue for me.”

A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport said: "Heathrow respects the cultural and religious needs of all passengers travelling through the airport.

"We work hard to provide our passengers with great service while ensuring everyone remains safe and secure."

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Border Force checks the passports of passengers who come into the country and pass through the UK border.

"Those who land at a UK airport to catch a connecting flight would usually have their documentation checked by airline or airport staff to ensure it was valid for their onward journey."