Paparazzo, Nick Stern, resigns over Britney Spears “hounding”
When paparazzi have a crisis of conscience over the wellbeing of their celebrity prey, events have clearly reached a serious level. So it is with Britney Spears, the troubled pop star and America’s favorite tabloid fodder, who was back under psychiatric evaluation in a Los Angeles hospital last night after the latest in a series of highly publicized meltdowns.
As the singer’s family and manager bickered over the right to direct her treatment after a court-ordered commitment into mental health care, a British photographer who has quit the chasing media pack warned the hounding could kill her.
Nick Stern has resigned from Splash, a Los Angeles-based, British-owned celebrity picture agency, in protest at the “aggressive” tactics employed in pursuing Spears, and predicted tragedy.
“Directly or indirectly, Britney is going to come to some horrific end, or a member of the public will,” he said. “It’s not what’s being done, it’s the way it’s being done. As she continues to deteriorate psychologically, I just can’t see a positive way out.”
The biggest threat, Stern said, came from the high-speed convoy of photographers’ cars and motorcycles that follow Spears’ every move through Los Angeles. The pursuit reached a new frenzy in the early hours of yesterday when the paparazzi tailed an ambulance and police escort taking the 26-year-old singer to hospital for the second time this month.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the trail of emergency vehicles that took Spears to the UCLA Medical Center stretched longer than a football field. In an operation conducted with military precision, police and medical crews spoke secretively of “delivering the package”, in a failed attempt to throw photographers off the scent.
“The paps are completely out of control,” said Stern, 43. “It’s not unusual to have 20 or 30 cars pursuing her at any one time. It’s become acceptable to drive at 80mph down the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic. I was horrified at what goes on. It’s so aggressive, there are fights and crashes and slashed tires. I felt I needed to say something.”
Spears has exhibited increasingly bizarre behavior in the past 12 months and has lost visitation rights to her two children, Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, fathered by her estranged husband, Kevin Federline. The two are engaged in a custody battle.
Source, WENN
February 1st, 2008 at 8:29 am
I’m glad to see that one pap has come to his senses. It is sad, though, that it has taken 10 years after the death of Princess Diana for one of them to say, “enough is enough.” And for Pete’s sake, why aren’t the courts doing something about this? The “public’s right to know” surely can’t more important that the public’s (including stars) right to privacy and safety. And why exactly does the public have a right to know what goes on in the private life of a public figure? I can understand in the case of a politician whose private life (i.e. drugs) might affect his/her ability to fulfill their obligations to the public. But exactly how is the public affected by Britney’s private life? Or Brad’s and Angelina’s? We have a right to the finished product celebrities put out (movies, records) and pictures of their red carpet outfits and promotional pics as that is all part and parcel of what they signed up for. However, having paps follow them into bathrooms and in high speed chases is not what they agreed to. All I can ask is how would you feel in their places? Really, be honest with yourselves and really try to imagine what they must feel like. I feel sorry for them. And I feel even more sorry for their children who didn’t choose their parents.
February 1st, 2008 at 8:56 am
Nyx- I couldn’t agree more.
There are many lives at risk here for what? A bad photo? Britney tripping? Losing her temper? We’ve seen all this and more a hundred times and I am pretty sure most of the people who read the tabloids agree that there are limits. I, for one, am guilty of coming on site like these but I certainly don’t need to see pics of celebs being chased etc. Quite frankly, interviews and nice pics (premiers, leaving restaurants etc) are good enough for me. I know they are public figures but I don’t think we own their lives. I honestly don’t think anyone wants to see this kind of stuff.
The recent footage of Britney sitting on a pavement crying whilst the paps took her picture was a very sad sight. They really are like vultures and I think the best place for her is in hospital cos at least they can’t take her picture. I wonder what they’ll be doing with all the spare time now that thier “meal ticket” is out of reach?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
Yes, the paps are out of control but the real tragedy here is for Britney and her kids. All of us agree that when drugs are ruining your life you need to make a change. Most addicted people will agree. Britney would likely agree. However, many don’t get help. Why?
As the director of Novus Medical Detox, I would suggest that many people never make it to rehab because they have tried to stop and the withdrawal pain was too great. This is why 95% of the people that try on their own don’t make it. They fear the withdrawal more than the problem.
Some people’s DNA and metabolism does make them more susceptible to dependence and addiction and either way the withdrawal is painful.
We now have protocols that make it much more comfortable and once off the drugs/alcohol, then they will be thinking more clearly and have a better chance in rehab.
The decision to change their lives must be made for any rehab to work. The confidence that they can stand the pain is often required before the decision to get rehab.
I think that the real problems are the prescription drugs that she is taking in addition to her other use of drugs/alcohol. She needs to get off these as well.
Steve Hayes
http://www.novusdetox.com
February 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
It was already proven Britney is not a drug addict! she was taking adderol and laxatives! No drug problems ok! Bipolar and paps up her but 24/7. That is more than enough! LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE! QUIT KICKING SOMEONE WHEN THEY ARE DOWN!!
February 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I agree with Kayla. Britney has a mental problem and needs to be in a hospital not rehab. I’m sure forcing her into rehab the first time didn’t help when that wasn’t the correct dianosis. I’m sure it made her more mad and pushed her closer to the manic state. Now she’s in detox getting the wrong ADD medicine out of her so she can correctly get bipolar medicine. I’m praying for her.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Fuck off Stern you never even worked on Britney. Fuck off back to England where you think you are some sort of ‘top boy’ dont come over her thinking you’re all that when you’re nowhere near you twat.
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Well Splash007, its good to see there are still a large number of ‘photographers’ out there who deem making money out of a mentally Ill mother of two acceptable. I think it is you that is the twat.