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Cowell offers Britney help

10/01/2008

X Factor judge Simon Cowell has offered Britney Spears a helping hand as she battles with custody disputes and reported drug battles.

The 26-year-old singer has recently been handed a temporary restraining order after a very public standoff with police and was hospitalised under the influence of an "unidentified substance".

But according to X Factor judge Simon Cowell, the Toxic star still has a chance to resurrect her career.

"It's never too late," the 48-year-old music mogul told People magazine. "I think she's the most searched artist on the internet at the moment, so she has a head start."

While Spears has recently hit the headlines for her erratic behaviour, her record sales have received a boost, with her latest single Piece of Me re-entering the UK chart at number 19 this week.

And Cowell has said he is more than willing to step in to help the troubled starlet.

"I genuinely think that if I sat down with Britney and, number one, remind her of all the good things in her life – which are her kids, her money, her success, everything – I'd try to give her a sense of perspective.

"And then I'd take her out of where she's living at the moment and ask her to go and live with her family – and live normally – for six months."

He added: "If you live normally and do normal things, you'll suddenly find that the paparazzi aren't camped outside your front door every day."

Cowell was speaking ahead of the launch of the seventh series of American Idol, which he told the New York Daily News will be "the best yet".