Spears 'discovered drugs in her teens'

Britney Spears began dabbling in drink and drugs in her early teens, her uncle has claimed.

William Spears said the singer discovered alcohol at 13 and started smoking marijuana a year later.

He also revealed that he had joined her in one of her alleged drug binges, which grew more frequent as she rose to fame.

He told The Sun: "I know she did cocaine on her 18th birthday - I was there. We were at a party in an apartment and I spotted her doing a line just before I did one. We smoked pot together too... She has tried just about everything - cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy."

William, 49, said he feared his niece would end up following in the footsteps of her paternal grandmother, who killed herself at the age of 31.

Emma Jean Spears reportedly shot herself in the chest in 1966 after battling depression over the death of her baby son eight years earlier.

He added: "I'm not just a family friend or someone who claims to know them. I was there every day, working with them. I have seen all the terrible things happen.

"Britney is in an unstable state of mind now and there is nothing anyone can do about it. She is not listening to anybody. If people think she has reached the bottom, they are very wrong. Suicide is the bottom line for Britney."

Spears is rumoured to be on the verge of agreeing to see mental health professionals on an outpatient basis.