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Dr Phil cancels Britney show

08/01/2008

Famed television talk show host 'Dr Phil' McGraw has called off plans for a one-hour show examining troubled singer Britney Spears.

The TV psychiatrist was criticised after visiting the starlet at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles after she was hospitalised following a very public custody dispute with local police last week.

Though he has stressed his one-hour visit with the 26-year-old was at the request of members of the Spears family, he has since cancelled plans for a show looking at the Toxic star's problems.

Writing on his website, Dr Phil said: "We had planned to tape a Dr Phil Now show today, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney's latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case.

"Clearly, it is not just Britney's family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help."

He continued: "Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time."

After his visit with Spears, Dr Phil told Entertainment Tonight that the decision to release the star was "one of the worst decisions that could have been made".

The singer's visitation rights to see her sons Sean Preston, two, and one-year-old Jayden James were temporarily suspended at the weekend, with her ex-husband Kevin Federline awarded "sole legal custody and sole physical custody" of the children until the Los Angeles court meets again to determine the appropriate custody arrangement for the divorced couple.