Britney Spears 'attempted suicide twice'

Britney Spears attempted to kill herself twice, a new book has claimed.

Journalist Ian Halperin said the singer exhibited suicidal tendencies while he was investigating her from November 2006 until last month.

Halperin, whose previous credits include biographies of Kurt Cobain and Celine Dion, told Life & Style: "I spoke with her many times and went to her house. I will say the suicide attempts are true. I know all the details about both of them."

A source close to Spears backed up the claims, telling the magazine that she became suicidal after the birth of second son Jayden James in September 2006.

The insider said: "It really became an issue once Jayden was born and it became clear Britney's marriage to Kevin was crumbling. That's when she began to say things like 'I wish I was dead' or 'It'd be better if I could go to sleep and never wake up' on a regular basis."

Halperin, who researched the as-yet-unreleased biography while posing as an undercover photographer, said he is not convinced that the popstar is back to her old self after her recent troubles.

He said: "I think she's in danger of a catastrophic relapse. Britney herself warned me that with her, it's always two steps forward, one step back."