But US reports have questioned whether she is actually seeking more serious treatment in light of her recent headline-grabbing behaviour.

Britters checked into Sanctuary, an Arizona spa, "for some R&R" on New Year’s Day, according to Life & Style magazine.

While she appears to be making good on her New Year’s resolution "just to take care of me more," the magazine claims that her well-documented bout of partying in recent weeks may have called for a different kind of break.

"With these celebrities, ’exhaustion’ sometimes means something else and a little rest at a spa sometimes actually translates into something a little more serious," a source told the magazine.

The singer’s rep, who insisted that the pop tart simply fell asleep in a La Vegas club on New Year’s Eve after quaffing champagne with fellow revellers, could not be reached for comment.

Britney gets thumbs-down - Dec 30 2006
Britney Spears has been voted the worst celebrity role model of the year.

Americans were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, and Brit beat out Paris Hilton for the ’worst’ honours in the showbiz world.

When asked to choose from a list of names, nearly three in 10 adults bestowed the honour of worst celebrity of the year on Britters.

The 25-year-old mum-of-two has been a regular on the party circuit since filing for divorce from wannabe rapper Kevin Federline, her husband of two years, earlier this year.

Second-worst celebrity billing went to socialite Paris Hilton, who took 18% of the vote.

Mel Gibson, 50, was third-worst celebrity with 12%, surely the result of his anti-Semitic tirade at police in Malibu, California, during his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. He later apologised and said he harboured no animosity toward Jews.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey edged out Michael J Fox as the best celeb role model.

Actor George Clooney, who has been advocating for refugees in the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan, finished third with 12%.

The telephone poll of 1,004 adults was conducted between December 19 and 21 by Ipsos, an international polling firm.

Britney loses fans - Dec 28 2006
It’s been a tough year for Britney Spears and now it seems even her die-hard fans are deserting her.

The fan website WorldOfBritney.com, which was been charting the life and music of the songstress since 2000, has decided to close down. And not for budgetary reasons.

The webmaster Ruben Garay writes: "As Britney keeps losing her identity and credibility within fans and industry people, so is [this website]."

He continues: "I believe Britney is unfortunately done (for me at least). No matter what anyone thinks or how they may disagree, it’s very hard to maintain the respect needed to keep things going."

Whilst the news won’t directly affect the star, it should make her think about her desired comeback album and whether her time away and subsequent behaviour has put off her core group of record buyers.

As for Garay, he is moving onto another celebrity, whilst apparently still liking Brit "as a human being".

So, it’s not all bad then...

Britney’s Christmas gift to herself - Dec 21 2006
Britney Spears has decided to wish herself a happy Christmas this year by moving herself and her two sons into a lavish Beverly Hills mansion, which reportedly cost a whopping 7.2 million dollars (£3.7 million).