Britney SpearsBritney Spears reportedly tried to kill herself on at least two separate occasions during her troubled period, according to a forthcoming unauthorised biography about the star.

Investigative journalist Ian Halperin has made the claims after spending 18 months tracking the star, posing as a paparazzi photographer.

He told Life & Style magazine: “I spoke with her many times and went to her house. I will say the suicide attempts are true. I know all the details about both of them.”

A second source told the magazine: “[Her mental state] really became an issue once Jayden was born [in September 2006] and it became clear Britney’s marriage to Kevin was crumbling.

“That’s when she began to say things like ‘I wish I was dead’ or ‘It’d be better if I could go to sleep and never wake up’ on a regular basis.

“It really seemed like the suicide option was a comfort to her, an escape route in case life became too much to handle.”

Halperin added that even though she now seems to be on the road to recovery after an intervention by her parents and doctors earlier this year, he’s not convinced that she’s out of danger just yet: “I think she’s in danger of a catastrophic relapse. Britney herself warned me that with her, it’s always two steps forward, one step back.”

The source agreed: “She’s on major medications. And she’s being micro-managed and controlled to the extreme by her parents, the courts and a huge team of doctors and handlers.

“She’s like a zombie now. She’s a shell of her old self.”