Simon Cowell urges troubled Britney to 'vanish somewhere quiet' after meltdown

The X Factor judge spoke after Britney's troubled weekend, which saw her hold her own children hostage before being strapped down to a stretcher and taken to hospital.

Britney has been on a downward spiral of hard-partying and bizarre behaviour since she first filed for divorce from now ex-husband Kevin Federline in November 2006.

Cowell admits he predicted Britney's meltdown six months ago when he criticised her March 2007 stint in rehab as a "total indulgence".

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However, following Britney's further descent into trouble, Cowell is lending a sympathetic ear to the singer and boasted he could save her.

Cowell told The Sun: "From where I sit, you could see this coming a long time ago. I said six months ago that she should go home.

"I'd have said, 'Stay with your mum, don't go out with your stupid friends, just live normally.' You'd be amazed — you live normally, and suddenly everything becomes normal.

"All that craziness, being followed around and all that stuff, it's going to do your head in. But you can get away from it if you want to.

"I do feel sorry for Britney. I would have taken her somewhere quiet for six months. The problem with Britney is that I don't think there's anyone in her life that she listens to.

"Someone should have said to her, 'Right, enough. You can see where this is heading, you're not going to cope with it yourself.'"

As Britney's life heads further into turmoil, Cowell has spent the last few weeks relaxing in the Caribbean sun with his mother and girlfriend Terri Seymour.

He's cut an impressive figure lately - first banishing his manboobs and then swanning around Barbados on a jetski à la James Bond.

But now Simon Cowell, 48, has gone and spoilt it by showing a hairy chest to rival that of Strictly Come Dancing's Anton du Beke.

The music mogul was all smiles as he strolled along the beach, sunglasses in hand, stripped down to his trunks with body hair clearly visible.

However in comparison to the dancer's heavily matted chest, Cowell's torso looks finely groomed (possibly waxed), which would be fitting with his newly-honed appearance.

After his stint as head judge on the recent controversial X Factor series, playing peace keeper between warring judges Sharon Osbourne and Dannii Minogue, Cowell is clearly relishing his annual Christmas getaway in the sun.

Along with long-term girlfriend Seymour, Cowell has been joined by his mother Julie and best friend Michael Winner, 72, for his three-week sojourn.