‘The Big Bang Theory’ star Kaley Cuoco has apologised profusely for offending people after she shared a picture of her dogs sitting on an American flag.

The 30 year old actress was clearly aiming for a cute picture, with her three dogs emblazoned in patriotic attire for a Fourth of July snap she shared via Instagram on Monday. However, many fans were up in arms against what they saw as the desecration of the flag, and she quickly took it down and said sorry for causing the outrage in a separate Instagram pic the following day.

I would like to comment on a photo I posted yesterday , that has caused lots of controversy. First off, please know, I have the utmost respect for my country. I am a proud American in every sense of the word. I understand the American flag stands for our freedom and represents American heroes , past and present. Yesterday I made a mistake by posting the picture that was taken of my sweet dogs posing on an American flag. I sincerely apologize to anyone that has been offended by my previous post. This is no way reflects my feelings toward what the American flag represents. Living in the public eye, can be extremely difficult at times. Every mistake and every imperfection is amplified. I am not perfect. I am a proud American, today, tomorrow, always. ??

A photo posted by @normancook on

“Yesterday I made a mistake by posting the picture that was taken of my sweet dogs posing on an American flag,” she wrote. “I sincerely apologize to anyone that has been offended by my previous post.”

She concluded her apology by adding, “I am not perfect. I am a proud American, today, tomorrow, always.”

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Cuoco had thanked a friend for looking after her pets as she was out of town, captioning the original photo, which you can see here: “Thank you @the_pet_handler for taking care of the squad while im out of town! 4th of July pups!!!!!!!”

Starting the weekend off the right way! ????????

A photo posted by @normancook on

According to the New York Daily News, however, the pic attracted around 400 comments, most of them expressing anger that she was allowing the stars ‘n’ stripes to be used in such a way. One outraged commenter wrote: “Showing disrespect for the flag, it should never touch the ground, or let your pet stand on it!” while another said, “Shame on you, Kaley. You lost a fan.”

Elsewhere on her Instagram page, Cuoco celebrated the day itself with her current boyfriend, Karl Cook. She posted a picture of them sharing a kiss, hoisting a beer and wearing patriotic outfits. "Happy birthday America!!!!! Celebrating in style. Obviously," she captioned it.

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