Everyone at sometime or other has heard the sayings ‘”There but for the grace of God go I”’ and ‘”Don’’t kick a dog when it’s down’.” Well, it would appear that anyone (whether a celebrity or a member of the public) who has ever been down on his luck can find a little compassion for the ailing Ms Spears.

Although the past few months have become open season for Britney bashing, and defending her may be seen a task beyond even the capabilities of the legal dream teams of OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, Robert Blake and Phil Spector combined, there are still those out there who speak well of the troubled young pop princess.

Just two weeks ago the well known, venom-spitting Simon Cowell, Mr Nasty, offered a guiding hand to what turned out to be the deaf ears of both Britney Spears and her entourage.

Who in her right mind, as down on her luck as Britney, would ignore Simon with his incredible track record of cultivating celebrity careers and even resurrecting his own career when it landed firmly in the pits in the 1990’s?

Cowell believes that Britney has placed herself so firmly in the public eye that she should now turn the paparazzi focus around to her advantage, and he’’s just the man to help. The American Idol judge also says folks should cut Britney some slack for what the pop star goes through.

Next in the long line of sympathizers comes Umbrella star, Rihanna, who pointed out to those who would take aim at Britney should stop and think about her situation. The R & B singer insists that it couldn’’t have been much fun trying to perform on the stage at the Video Music Awards when the rest of Britney’s life was crumbling around her.

While the press were waiting like old ladies knitting at the guillotine in 17^th century France, waiting for the head to roll, Spears was expected to perform with the same youthful agility that she had in previous years.

Rhianna also performed at the awards and added, “‘I performed for a minute and a half, and I was extremely nervous. To have the amount of pressure that Britney had, I don’t know what I would’ve done. She did her best, so leave her alone.”

Britain’’s Robbie Williams is also no stranger to public scrutiny and adverse publicity, and admits that his sensitive nature means he takes life very seriously. Being interviewed by the Observer Sport Monthly, Robbie commented, “I go past Britney Spears’s house every day on the way to my hike and there’s 30 cars outside, and I just want to get out and kill them. You know, for some it’s like water off a duck’s back but for me it’s an injustice. It’s just how I’m built. I have a basic sense of what’s right and wrong, and how you should treat people.”

Singing Bee host Joey Fatone told Extra that he offered Britney the chance to use his home in Orlando as a retreat and to give herself time to get away from it all. Fatone has been a close friend of Britney for many years and was also a member of N’ Sync with Spears’s former lover, Justin Timberlake.

Fatone said, “I’m Here for You, Sweetheart, it’s a good thing to get out of L.A.”

Fatone told ‘Extra’ that he hasn’t seen Spears in some time, but has a message for his old friend: ‘”If you’re there, let me know.”’

After many years out of the public and tabloid spotlight, Irish songstress Sinead OConnor recently appeared on Oprah where she discussed her bipolar disorder. When asked about her view on Britney’s situation she drew on her own experiences at the hands of the media and said that he media is constantly looking for Britney to mess up, and it’s very dangerous to attack someone’s mothering skills.

Sinead fears people will end up regretting the way they’ve treated Britney.

Sinead’s own career of course came to a rather abrupt end when she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul on national television in October 1992 and yelled “Fight the real enemy!”

Lily Allen, normally known for her baseless comments, has admitted she feels sorry for shambolic singer Britney Spears. Lily said: “My heart goes out to her. I feel that she must be in a tough place right now.”

Referring to Spear’s experience in the industry since childhood, Allen went on to say, “It’s really upsetting. I was 19 when I started doing this, so I can’t even imagine what it must be like for her. I find it sort of nightmarish on some days but amazing on others, and I am no way as successful or famous as she is.”

Maybe we should all remember at this time - while the inquiry into Princess Diana Princess’s death is underway - the traumatically sad life that Diana led in her final years, being permanently under the microscope of the paparazzi. And of course how her life ended and how affected the whole world was - and still is - by her death.

The short life of Anna Nicole Smith was spent endlessly trying to escape the media and the criticism for just about everything she did. Again, remember the sorrow at her sad demise.

Effectively, celebs like Britney are pursued, and finally killed, like the goose that lays the golden egg. ABB