LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears abruptly checked out of a rehabilitation facility, reports said on February 22, the second time in the space of a week she had fled a treatment centre within 24 hours.

The troubled pop princess left the Promises Malibu Treatment Center early on Wednesday, television and celebrity news websites reported, less than a day after checking in for unspecified problems. People magazine quoted a source as saying Spears had left the centre against the advice of staff.

“If she comes back for treatment, Promises will have to assess the situation. Sometimes people come back, but it doesn’t look good,” the source said.

Spears, famous for hits like Oops! I Did It Again and Toxic, briefly entered a rehab centre in Antigua last week but checked out after less than one day there, according to reports.