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Monday 1 February 2016

Christina Aguilera arrested for public intoxication

Singer taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk after police pull over a car driven by her boyfriend in West Hollywood

 

You are booziful? ... Christina Aguilera and Matt Rutler. Photograph: BDG/Rex Features

Christina Aguilera spent yesterday morning sobering up in a West Hollywood police station. The pop star was arrested for public intoxication after officers pulled over a car driven by her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, charging him with driving under the influence. The Beautiful singer was later released, and police say they have "no desire to prosecute".

"She was not belligerent in any way," a spokesman for the LA County sheriff's office told the New York Post. When police stopped the car around 2:45 am, Aguilera was a "public safety issue", Steve Whitmore explained. "When she got out of the car, she couldn't stand ... She didn't know where she was and she didn't know her own address." Given her condition, the arrest was routine: "She was not capable of taking care of herself." According to the booking sheet obtained byTMZ, Aguilera was listed at 5'2" and 100lbs (45kg).

Though Aguilera will not be pursued for a criminal offence, Rutler faces a drink-driving charge. The 25-year-old's breathalyser reading was reportedly .09, just above the legal limit of .08. He has been released on $5,000 (£3,000) bail.

The last six months have not been easy for Aguilera: her last album, Bionic, was a flop, while her feature film debut, Burlesque, fared no better. In October, the singer filed to end her five-year marriage to music executive Jordan Bratman, and there have since been reports of public drunkenness. Earlier this month, before a TV audience of 100 million, Aguilera forgot the words to the US national anthem. A few days later, she took a tumble onstage at the Grammy awards. "She's a total mess," a friend told Us Weekly. "Her drinking is out of control."

Super Bowl 2011: Christina Aguilera defends national anthem gaffe

 

Christina Aguilera performs during the Super Bowl XLV pre-game Show at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Christina Aguilera has pleaded for forgiveness after the singer fluffed her performance of the American national anthem at last night's Super Bowl.

Instead of singing "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?" in the four-versed Star Spangled Banner, the pop star sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming?", changing "hailed" to "watched" the second time around.

Amid a growing Twitter storm, Aguilera said in a statement: "I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."

According to the Daily Mail, her gaffe matched erroneous lyrics published on Wikipedia, which have since been corrected.

At the Super Bowl in 2004 Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's half-time show created controversy when Timberlake ripped a piece of Jackson's top, revealing the singer's right breast.

Green Bay won their fourth Super Bowl last night with a thrilling 31-25 win over Pittsburgh at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.