Cowell tells Spears to get help from mum

Simon Cowell has urged Britney Spears to spend some time at home with her mother.

Cowell believes Spears can recover from her recent troubles if she takes a break from her party lifestyle and "stupid friends".

Spears was taken to hospital last week after a police siege at her LA home following a custody dispute.

Talking about the incident, Cowell said: "From where I sit, you could see this coming a long time ago. I said six months ago that she should go home."

When asked what his advice for Spears would be, he commented: "I’d have said, 'Stay with your mum, don’t go out with your stupid friends, just live normally.’

"You’d be amazed - you live normally, and suddenly everything becomes normal. All that craziness, being followed around and all that stuff, it’s going to do your head in. But you can get away from it if you want to."

The X Factor judge has blamed the people closest to Spears for her recent meltdown, saying: "Someone should have said to her, ‘Right, enough. You can see where this is heading, you’re not going to cope with it yourself’."

> Cowell: 'Spears enjoys controversy'