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The National Enquirer‘s lame “exclusive” about Britney Spears collapsing Down Under collapses under scrutiny.

The supermarket tab claims Spears was so “distraught over being separated from her sons,” who remained in the U.S., she suffered an emotional breakdown upon arrival in Australia. A so-called “source” tells the Enquirer, “When Britney arrived in Australia, she collapsed… She took to bed in her hotel room and just sobbed and slept.”

According to this person’s version of events, after touching down in Perth on November 4, Spears complained of a migraine headache, “refused to get out of bed to practice or do a dress rehearsal for her first concert,” and constantly called ex Kevin Federline to speak to her boys, 4-year-old Sean and 3-year-old Jayden.

The tab claims Federline “relented” and agreed to let Sean and Jayden fly to Australia with Spears beau Jason Trawick on November 10 only after her father Jamie “stepped in” and called Federline after “getting word that Britney was going to blow the tour unless her boys joined her… He was afraid she’d be sued for failing to live up to her performance contracts.”

Gossip Cop hears lots of rumors about Spears every week, but one thing that’s never debated is her work ethic during this big professional comeback. And while she may have missed her children when the Australian leg of her Circus tour began, the entire Enquirer premise is dubious.

A source closed to Spears told Gossip Cop the tabloid’s account is “absurd.” The source explained, “The kids were always scheduled to be with her. There was no emotional breakdown.”

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