Her Children Taken Away, How Does Britney Cheer Herself Up? With a Trip to the Tanning Studio

Oct 03, 06:02 PM

Current Headlines: By Laura Roberts

SHE had just lost custody of her infant sons after failing to obey court orders.

But having downed a hamburger and booked herself in for a tanning session, Britney Spears managed to raise a smile.

The singer is seen here shortly after the ruling in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday.

Wearing a revealing pink dress and with tangled hair, Miss Spears grabbed a bite at a Beverly Hills burger bar.

She then handed Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, over to the bodyguards of her ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

Afterwards, she spent some time at her favourite Bel Air tanning salon and followed up with supper at celebrity haunt Nobu..

celebrity haunt Nobu.

'Unfit to raise grass' The 25-year-old also found time to apply for a Californian driving licence - something which she may wish she had done earlier.

Pictures taken at the weekend of the singer driving her sons in Malibu are said to have been the final straw for the judge in her custody case.

Less than a fortnight ago, Scott Gordon had ordered Miss Spears to observe a driving ban, as she did not have a valid licence. He also ruled that she and Federline must not drink or take drugs up to 12 hours before looking after the boys, and must attend parenting classes and twice-weekly drug tests.

Unfortunately, Miss Spears had been spotted out drinking several nights in a row, and according to reports in the U.S., refused to take the drug tests or classes.

She was then seen behind the wheel on Sunday.

Lawyers for Kevin Federline are said to have called an emergency summit with Judge Gordon, who ordered him to take over the care of the youngsters from noon today - 'until further order of the court'.

Miss Spears apparently handed them over two days early, just after the ruling.

Her lawyer Sorrell Trope told People magazine in the U.S.: 'We were not able to prove compliance with what the judge ordered.

'The judge ordered that by 10am on Monday morning both parties should show valid California driving licences. I have been unable to produce evidence of that.' Miss Spears is a resident of Los Angeles and her Louisiana driving licence is not valid there.

In a previous hearing, Judge Gordon criticised her 'habitual, frequent and continuous use' of drink and drugs.

His comments were echoed yesterday in the media.

Andrea Peyser, of the New York Post, stated: 'That shameless, panty-less, gumsnapping, head-shaving, alcohol-swilling, drug- seeking pop sl*t Britney Spears is unfit to raise grass, let alone kids.' Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton added: 'Her blatant disregard of the law is disgusting. What planet does she live on?' Last month her sacked former bodyguard, Tony Barretto, 27, told how Miss 'What planet is she on?' Spears had been allegedly 'out of control' on drugs while caring for her children. He added: 'Her home is no place for children to be raised.' Miss Spears's manager and former lawyer also resigned recently, following her erratic behaviour.

She is facing a possible jail term for a hit-and-run smash in August, when she was caught driving without a licence. In the same month she made a widely-ridiculed comeback performance at the MTV video music awards.

She appeared disoriented, forgot the lyrics to her song and performed a lacklustre dance routine.

It was a far cry from the energetic performances which helped her become the eighth bestselling female artist in U.S. history.

Miss Spears has been in the spotlight since the age of 11, when she was a Mouseketeer on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club.

She became a worldwide star in 1999 with the single starlet' Baby One More Time and in 2002 was ranked the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes Magazine.

But her wholesome image soon began to crumble.

In 2003, she courted controversy by kissing Madonna on stage at the MTV Video Music awards and a year later married her high school sweetheart on the spur of the moment.

The marriage was quickly annulled, but just nine months later she walked down the aisle with Federline, one of her back-up dancers.

The couple separated after little more than two years and divorce papers were filed in December last year.

In the meantime, Miss Spears had been photographed wearing miniskirts with no underwear.

And child welfare authorities paid her a visit after she was photographed driving a car with her infant son on her lap.

Despite spending several stints in rehab, Miss Spears has showed no signs of slowing down.

Friends of the Louisianaborn performer are worried about her mental state and fear the latest blow in her custody battle could push her over the edge.

l.roberts@dailymail.co.uk

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