She may be a multi-millionaire but it seems that Britney Spears is as guilty as the rest of us for spending as much as she earns. The pop star made more than £7.6million last year, but she spent an eye-watering £6.7million over the 11 months to December 31, 2008. Spears is well known for her extravagant spending and diva demands but figures lodged with a Los Angeles Court show that she is splashing the cash at a rate of £609,000 a month. The singer is enjoying renewed success after a disastrous couple of years where her increasingly erratic behaviour lead to her being taken into psychiatric care under a mental health order. But bizarrely, she is now spending more on security and staff, than she is on the care of her two young sons. Spears, who is on a world tour, splashed out nearly £300,000 on her security team and £124,500 on general staff. In contrast the star, who is worth more than £60million in total spent just £118,000 on her young boys.
Spears, 27, spent the bulk of her income last year on legal fees. She spent £2million on fees for 17 different lawyers, prompting concerns that her fortune is being frittered away. More than half of this is being claimed by those taking care of her estate, while a significant chunk was given to ex-husband Kevin Federline to cover his family court costs. The pair had battled for custody of their children as part of a bitter divorce, with Mr. Federline eventually being awarded them in his full care. The couple split in 2007, whereupon Miss Spears descended into a spiral of drug abuse, wild partying and depression - prompting her to lose custody of their children. She cut off her family and was sectioned, while her father Jamie Spears took control of her and her estate in a bid help her stay under control.
Her annual general living expenses are in excess of £90,000, which likely include hefty bills for her diet and exercise regimes. There is no breakdown in the legal documents but sources close to the star have revealed she spends more than £5,000 a month on staying in shape. Miss Spears will arrive in London for the UK leg of her tour next month and her diva-like demands further highlight where her cash goes - last year she spent £700,000 on similar business expenses.
