A Chinese television anchorwoman has returned to her job after publicly apologizing for posing topless in a breast cancer awareness advertising campaign.

Chen Dan, an anchorwoman on Changsha TV's Women's Channel, was suspended after appearing topless with two other women in the advertisements for the Changsha Shangmei Gynecology Hospital.

The television station in central China's Hunan Province on Wednesday warned that it reserved the right to sue the ad-maker for misleading the public that it supported the advertisement by allowing Chen to appear.

"Chen's return was approved after we considered her sincerity in her public apology," said a senior station executive, who asked not to be named.

The posters with the slogan "Clever girls love themselves more" appeared on June 7 at bus stops and on billboards in Hunan's capital, Changsha.

Although the topless women had their breasts covered with their arms and hair, the photo provoked fierce debate in the media and on the Internet.

Many online commentators claimed the ad was nothing more than a commercial stunt by the hospital.

Chen issued an online public apology on Tuesday, admitting that posing for the photo without informing her employers was inappropriate.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2006)