Britney Spears enters rehab after arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence

LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears voluntarily checked into rehab on Sunday following her March arrest on suspicion of driving ​under the influence, a representative for Spears confirmed to ‌Reuters on Monday.

The California Highway Patrol said the pop singer was arrested in Ventura County after officers stopped her black BMW following a report that ​it had been traveling erratically at high speed.

The highway patrol ​said in a statement that Spears, the sole occupant ⁠of the vehicle, “showed signs of impairment” due to what officers ​suspected was the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs. ​It added she underwent a series of field sobriety tests.

Spears was booked into the Ventura County Main Jail and is due for a court appearance on ​May 4.

Spears, who became one of the biggest pop stars ​in the world in the late 1990s while still a teenager, has struggled ‌for ⁠years with intense media speculation into her personal life, use of drink and drugs, and questions over her mental state.

In 2007, she was charged with one count of a hit-and-run causing property damage ​and one count ​of driving without ⁠a valid license, both misdemeanors. The first charge was later dropped and the other dismissed.

After she ​had a public breakdown that year, she was hospitalized ​for ⁠undisclosed mental health issues and her father granted a conservatorship.

Spears regained control of her personal life and her money in 2021 when a judge ⁠ended ​the conservatorship that had become a cause ​celebre for fans and that had governed her personal life and $60 million estate since ​2008.