Spears' cousin to launch music career

Britney Spears' cousin has revealed that she plans to launch a music career.

Alli Sims, the star's former assistant, said she wants to follow in the footsteps of Norah Jones and make it as a blues singer.

However, she denied that her connection to Britney had inspired her to make her own bid for stardom, saying: "Of course everyone says I wanna do this because of Britney. But I have wanted to be a singer since I was little. And when I came to LA to accomplish this, I wasn‘t even in touch with Britney.

“Whenever I saw Britney on stage I thought: ‘When will I be up there?’ But I never envied her. I always knew my time would come.”

She added: "When I make it as a singer, I will have made it on my own. The people who help me with my career right now, I have met without Britney and that's good. I don't want her to help me."

Sims said she is confident that she has what it takes to be a star, telling German magazine Maxi: "If I were a product, I would be Louis Vuitton. Classic, tasteful, timeless."

She also defended Britney's behaviour over the last few weeks, saying: "The media exaggerates. My cousin is a wonderful person. Our life is fine. We have two drinks a night, nothing more. Look at me - I am more of a nerd than too wild.

“We wanna live, get our own Starbucks. Even if paparazzi tear our dresses apart.”