Us Weekly: The concern for Britney Spears welfare right now is off the charts

I tapped out of covering Britney Spears for more than a week, because the tabloidization of her divorce from Sam Asghari is already pretty gross. Page Six and TMZ are already raking over every little thing and none of it seems very good for Britney’s already-fragile mental health. The last two stories we discussed about Britney were her statement about the end of her marriage, and the reports of Britney assaulting Sam. We’ve also heard that the split was not particularly warm – Sam believed that Britney was cheating, and they’ve cut their ties with each other completely. Us Weekly devoted their cover story this week to Britney’s new life alone, yet surrounded by shady characters.

There hasn’t been a dull moment for Britney Spears since the pop star confirmed her split from ex Sam Asghari. After chronicling a night out with pals on August 20, Spears introduced fans to her brand-new puppy, Snow, three days later. That same afternoon, she was spotted driving a white Mercedes-Benz with a mystery man near her Thousand Oaks, California, home, prompting some to wonder whether she had already moved on. “This is a new chapter for Britney in more ways than one,” says a source.

With newfound independence come fresh concerns about Spears’ mental health. “Some people are of the opinion that Britney’s on a dangerous downward spiral,” says a second source, “and the stuff she’s been [doing] hasn’t done much to dampen that worry. The concern for Britney’s welfare right now is off the charts.”

According to reports, the man she was seen with on August 23 was Paul Richard Soliz, a former Spears employee with an alleged criminal background. Adds the first source: “She was finally getting to a positive place, and then Sam filed for divorce. People are worried how all of this will affect her.”

There’s talk she’s been reconnecting with family members. Her brother, Bryan, was reportedly spotted at Spears’ house shortly after her split from Asghari was announced. A third source says the singer’s “always been close with Bryan” and that the breakup has her reevaluating her relationship with her mom, Lynne. (Lynne and Spears took steps to reconcile in May following a three-year estrangement.)

She’s tight with her longtime manager, Cade Hudson — the two traveled to Mexico together for a vacation back in March. “Cade is probably her closest confidante right now,” says the second source, who claims Asghari was jealous of the pair’s friendship while he and Spears were still married. She also hangs out with her drivers, bodyguards “and dancers who are either on the payroll or want to be,” adds the source. “The most tragic thing of all is that there seems to be nobody capable of really helping her.”

Spears and Asghari aren’t on speaking terms. “Britney feels manipulated and betrayed by Sam,” explains the second source. The budding actor is currently living in a high-rise luxury building in L.A., and the first source says he’s getting a stipend from Spears: “She’s paying him until they settle everything in court.” The source adds that there’s reason to believe Asghari will fight the prenup: “The people around Britney felt in the last two to three years that Sam had ulterior motives.” The second source says Asghari is “hoping things get resolved quickly,” adding, “He doesn’t want to play hardball with Britney, but if he has to, he will.”

Accusations have flown that both Spears and Asghari were unfaithful. The first source insists Spears didn’t cheat: “That’s just Sam’s way out of the marriage. There was always a plan of action for his future.” A fourth source says Spears did step out on Asghari, twice — including with Soliz. “He was fired when Britney’s team found out they were sleeping together, but then he came back into the picture,” says the source, adding that Asghari learned about Spears’ alleged cheating via security camera footage.

[From Us Weekly]

There’s more in the cover story about how she’ll never have a relationship with her father again but she’s softening on her mom. There’s an emphasis on how Britney is surrounding herself yet again with shady characters, which I can believe. I also believe that Britney’s fear that Sam had “ulterior motives” is paranoia on her part – Sam was ride or die for her until she (allegedly) cheated on him and assaulted him. Sigh… I want to say this without the paternalistic attitude towards Britney, but she does need help and she needs people in her life who have her best interests at heart.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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