Britney Spears checks into rehab after DUI arrest

Britney Spears has gone into rehab, five weeks after she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The 44-year-old pop star voluntarily checked herself into a substance abuse treatment facility, according to an email sent to The Associated Press on Sunday.

Spears was arrested on 5 March, after California Highway Patrol officers received a report that a BMW was driving fast and "erratically" on US 101 in Ventura County near the Los Angeles County line.

She was later arrested for "driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol" and taken to Ventura County Main Jail, north west of Los Angeles.

Spears, who lives in the area, was released several hours later.

She is due to appear in court on 4 May.

At the time of Spears's arrest, her representative called her actions "completely inexcusable" and said it would ideally be "the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney's life".

Spears has not released new music for several years, saying in 2024 that she would "never return to the music industry".

She went on to sell part of her rights to her back catalogue to music publisher Primary Wave in February.

In 2021, a 13-year conservatorship allowing her father to control her freedom and finances due to concerns over her mental health was dissolved by the court.

Spears published a bestselling memoir two years later, titled The Woman In Me.

(c) Sky News 2026: Britney Spears checks into rehab after DUI arrest