Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson insists that the 9-year-old girl who carried her dress at the Hollywood Style Awards had "fun" doing it.

Anderson left child rights activists fuming after she recruited a shy, 9-year-old girl to hold up her risque dress at the Awards night.

She turned up in a barely-there, pink Vivienne Westwood dress on Sunday, while the child, named Adelaide Gault was holding her long train.

Manager Peter Asher claims that Gault - daughter of the star's makeup artist, Sharon Gault, and goddaughter of photographer David LaChapelle - had a "great time" at the event last weekend.

"As Pamela was preparing for the red carpet, Adelaide asked if she could carry the train. Everyone thought that would be fun, and Pam agreed,” the New York Post quoted Asher as saying.

“Adelaide held the train with elegance and aplomb," he added. Asher also said Adelaide "met lots of interesting people."

"All the parties involved find the suggestion that this . . . constitutes some kind of 'abuse' or the use of a child as a 'fashion accessory' utterly astonishing and even amusing - but pretty disturbing in a way as well," he added.