BRITNEY Spears has bought a £3million mansion where she hopes to recover from her wild drink and drugs binges – and it comes with its own Irish pub.
The singer plans to move into the property overlooking the Pacific Ocean with her mother Lynne and father James, who still has legal control over her assets.
Britney fell in love with the five-bedroom, six-bathroom home – which also has a guest house, pool and spa in its manicured half-acre grounds – before Christmas.
She was taken on a tour by estate agents Vintage Properties Inc and was “blown away” by the house, according to a source.
She was also “tickled pink” that architect and designer Steven Reiman had turned a huge bar area off the main lounge into an Irish-themed pub.
Her parents believe that the mansion, part of a gated enclave in the upmarket southern Californian city of Hermosa Beach, is the perfect bolt-hole for her to continue her recovery and plan her comeback.
A source close to the family revealed: “All of Britney’s homes are fully stocked with alcohol. I doubt Lynne and James will even tear the pub apart, because they’re beginning to trust her now.”
In return Britney, 26, has also learned to trust her father’s handling of her finances which, like her life, had spiralled out of control with as much as £30million blown in the past 18 months alone.
James managed to negotiate more than a million dollars off the asking price of her new “recovery retreat”. When she first viewed the property late last year, it was on the market for £4.5million.
Since then, with southern California’s housing market in the doldrums, the price had already come down by about £750,000.
But the family friend said: “James and a lawyer who is working on Brit’s behalf managed to get the sellers to slice another really nice chunk off for a cash deal. Brit is thrilled and can’t wait to move in.”
Another huge factor in choosing the Hermosa Beach mansion, which has panoramic views from every level, is that it is situated high on a bluff overlooking the ocean and is only accessible via a permanently manned security gatehouse.
“It will be virtually impossible for paparazzi photographers to spy on her or for her old crowd of so-called friends, whom James wants rid of, to get close,” said the friend.
Although it is in an area of relative tranquillity compared with her Beverly Hills mansion, Britney’s new pad in Hermosa Beach is barely 20 miles from Los Angeles. Her parents are anxious that she remains close to the action as they help her try to rebuild her shattered career.Tomorrow night she will appear as a dermatologist’s feisty receptionist in the American television sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
Since being under her parents’ wing again, Britney has astonished those around her with a new work ethic.
Craig Thomas, who created the prime-time CBS show, told the Sunday Express: “She asked for a guest role to keep up her acting chops and a deal was in place by the next day. I have to say I found her funny, a real joy to work with, and as far as I’m concerned our door is always open to her.”
Britney is also said to be anxious to be a good sister to her younger sibling Jamie Lynn, who is due to give birth soon after her 17th birthday next month, and a good aunt to the baby.
Although Britney still only has limited visitation rights to her own sons – Sean Preston, two, and one-year-old Jayden James – she seems to be looking forward to the new arrival as much as her sister.
“Burying all those feuds with her mum and dad that were fuelled by her partying habits has given her a clear sense of family values again,” said the source.
“Now everyone is praying that her new home is going to be the sort of safe haven for family life her old ones never were.”
Source: Sunday Express
