London, Nov 22 : Actress-singer Billie Piper has been praised by animal rights campaigners after she declared her repentance at abusing stray pets when she was a child.

The Secret Diary of a Call Girl star has admitted to targeting animals in streets near her childhood home and `launching' them through the air for entertainment and wished she could change her past.

"My throwing animals phase. I used to pick up animals on the street and launch them as far as I could," the Daily Mail quoted her as telling Guardian Weekend magazine.

She has confessed to being wracked by guilt over her behaviour and would love to change the past - but bosses at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have praised her honesty and have asked her to work alongside them in a new campaign.

"PETA is very happy to hear that Ms Piper regrets the casual cruelty that she perpetrated against animals when she was a child - that's the difference between a person with the real potential to be kind and someone who denies wrongdoing, takes pleasure in it and escalates the damaging behaviour," PETA spokeswoman told WENN.

"Psychiatrists and sociologists can attest that in cases where animal abusers do not regret their ill deeds, they often `graduate' to committing violent acts against human beings - unless someone intervenes to change their path...

" We will be asking Ms Piper to be a spokesperson for our campaign to sensitise children, parents and teachers to the need to develop compassion in childhood through humane-education training in schools and at home," she added. (ANI)