Cowell tells Britney, Robbie to "get a grip"

Simon Cowell has told Britney Spears and Robbie Williams to "get a grip" after the troubled pop stars checked into rehabilitation clinics last month.

The straight-talking X Factor judge recently visited a deprived nation and thinks that the problems of the "indulgent" singers pale in comparison to what he saw there.

He said: "This whole thing is a total indulgence. Britney and Robbie need to get a grip. I went to a deprived part of the world recently... It really opened my eyes.

"You can feel sorry for yourself over the smallest things, but then you look at the world and you think, 'I've got nothing to complain about'.

So when I hear about the Robbies and the Britneys going to into rehab, I think, 'I'll tell you what rehab is. Go to where I just went, where people are really suffering and then you'll see just how good your life is'."