Taxpayer cash has been used to sponsor an explicit podcast starring an adult film star who has invited ‘barely legal’ 18-year-olds to sleep with her on camera.

The Department for Work and Pensions was a ‘paid partner’ to Bonnie Blue’s appearance on a podcast where she brags about bedding 158 men in two weeks.

The 25-year-old  star appeared on an episode of the Saving Grace podcast – hosted by influencer , who is rumoured to be appearing in the upcoming series of .

The pair discussed a series of X-rated topics before the episode is interrupted with a DWP advert which says: ‘This episode is in paid partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions’.

It says: ‘Let’s be honest, the things we choose to tell our parents, grandparents or in fact any elderly relative can be a bit selective at times.’

The advert goes on to urge listeners to tell their elderly relatives about pension credit – as part of the Government’s drive to increase uptake after it cut the winter fuel allowance.

It says: ‘As you know we’ve all got something we haven’t told our parents or grandparents and sometimes it’s just easier that way. But here’s something you really do need to let them know.

‘Thousands of people over the age of 66 are missing out on pension credit, worth an average of £3,900 a year. Plus, they can also be entitled to the winter fuel payment if they apply by December 21.’

The DWP last night said it did not endorse the comments made in the podcast and had its advert removed from the episode this week.

A spokeswoman for the department told the Mail: ‘We do not endorse the comments made and have had our advert removed from this particular episode.’

The DWP did not say how much money it spent on the partnership.

In the podcast, Blue discusses her sex life in lurid detail – including how she has slept with married men and ‘fresh 18-year-olds’.

And she reveals that she has made more than £3 million already this year, adding: ‘Being a slut pays really well.’

Host GK Barry then says: ‘I’d hate to see your tax bill,’ to which Blue replies: ‘It makes me feel sick.’

She also says sex is becoming ‘less and less taboo’, with people now ‘more open’ to OnlyFans.

Blue is from Nottingham but lives in Australia – where the authorities are being urged to cancel her visa. A petition – describing her as a ‘predatory sex worker’ – has been signed by almost 20,000 people.

It is understood that the DWP partnered with podcast company Acast to run pension credit advertising across a series of shows.

The Saving Grace podcast was one of at least a dozen shows chosen as it is listened to by the department’s target audience.

Adverts are created in the podcast’s tone and style to resonate with their audience, but it is understood the DWP did not sponsor the Bonnie Blue episode in particular.

The DWP has been urging people to sign up for pension credit – a means-tested benefit – after the Government axed the winter fuel payment for millions of elderly people.