Entertainment> Celebrities

Britney Spears flees rehab again

(AP)
2007-02-22 08:55

In this photo made from video provided by KABC-TV, Pop singer Britney Spears is at a Sherman Oaks, Calif., tattoo parlor Friday night, Feb. 16, 2007. Spears was there to get a couple of tiny tattoos on her wrist, a pair of pink and red lips, according to KABC-TV. (AP Photo/KABC-TV)

MALIBU, Calif. - Britney Spears left a live-in rehabilitation facility early Wednesday, less than a day after checking in, according to several reports. It was the second time in a week that Spears entered a rehab facility and checked out before her first day was finished.

The television news magazine "The Insider" initially reported that Spears called a car service, walked out of the Promises Malibu Treatment Center and left the facility early Wednesday morning.

Later, the TV show "Extra" and the celebrity Web site TMZ.com said the 25-year-old pop star had left the center far short of the usual 45-day stay. TMZ said she couldn't handle rehab and went home.

Federline manager Dan Dymtrow said there would be no comment.

Entertainment TV shows and Web sites reported Friday that Spears had gone in and out of rehab that week. Some reports identified the facility as Eric Clapton's Crossroads center in Antigua, in the Caribbean, but the AP wasn't able to confirm those reports.

Eddie Michaels, a spokesman for the public relations agency that handles Promises, said he had no comment. He would not confirm that Spears had been there or that she had left.

There was no response to an e-mail sent Wednesday to Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph. On Tuesday, Rudolph said Spears had voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed treatment facility.

"We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends at this time," Rudolph was quoted as saying. He didn't disclose why she entered rehab.

Spears had a meltdown weekend that included shaving her head, tattooing her wrist and clubbing with friends. On Friday night, she sheared off her hair at a salon. Spears was later seen wearing an inexpensive blond wig.

Since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline in November, Spears has been photographed pantyless, wearing skimpy outfits and partying heavily.

Federline's attorney earlier confirmed that Spears and Federline would continue to share custody of 5-month-old Jayden James and 17-month-old Sean Preston this month, following terms of a January custody agreement.