Britney Spears’ cousin and former assistant Alli Sims has dismissed reports the troubled singer has a drug problem.

Sims insists speculation the Toxic singer was under the influence of drugs during a stand-off with police at her Beverly Hills, California mansion earlier this month (Jan08) is untrue.

She says, "If something (drug-related about Spears) was to come out, I would definitely be shocked.

"I was with her for eight months pretty much every day and never witnessed anything like that - and I lived there (with her)."

Spears was taken to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following the incident at her Beverly Hills, California home, on 4 January (08) when she refused to hand over her youngest son to her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s minder.