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Britney family slams Dr Phil

10/01/2008

The family of troubled singer Britney Spears have criticised Dr Phil McGraw's decision to talk to the press after visiting Spears in hospital.

The television talk-show host was reportedly invited by the Toxic star's family to visit her in the Cedars-Sinai medical centre in Los Angeles after she was hospitalised following a custodial dispute on Thursday January 3rd.

The 26-year-old was involved in a public standoff with police after refusing to hand over her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James, regarding whom she is involved in a custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

After a one-hour visit with the starlet, Dr Phil called off plans for a televised special regarding Spears' personal problems.

But now Lou Taylor, business manager for Britney's parent Lynne and Jamie, has appeared on TV criticising the psychiatrist's decision to discuss his hospital visit with the media.

"What's wrong with Dr Phil's statement is that he made a statement," Taylor said on The Today Show yesterday.

"The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements," she said.

"Any statements publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, are just inappropriate. We feel like, to set the record straight, we need to say that."

According to People magazine, Britney was issued with a temporary restraining order by the Los Angeles police department following the custody standoff on Thursday night.

Federline's attorney Mark Kaplan confirmed the five-day protective order but would not confirm under whose jurisdiction it was ordered.

"Kevin doesn't want to keep his kids from being involved in [Spears'] life," he told the magazine. "But foremost is that the kids be in an environment of structure and stability. The next goal is to get things to a point where both parents are able to participate fully in their lives."