Britney Spears’ mom shocked she has “deteriorated to this level”

DAYS before Britney Spears' meticulously planned intervention, the troubled singer's mom, Lynn Spears "flew out" to L.A. Sunday and was shocked to see how badly the singer's mental condition had deteriorated, a source close to the singer has claimed.

"Lynne was devastated," a source tells Us Weekly magazine. "She hadn't seen her in a while and to see her deteriorated to this level – what mother wouldn't be affected by that? It's awful."

On Monday, Britney's pal and self-styled manager Sam Lutfi phoned Barbara Walters, saying that the 26-year-old 'Gimme More' singer and her estranged mother were back on speaking terms and that Brit was having trouble sleeping and was suffering from "mood swings".

Though the two appeared terse at a Beverly Hills Mercedes-Benz dealership Tuesday morning, The View co-host quoted Lutfi as saying, "her mother has been very supportive of whatever it is that Britney is trying to do."

Last night the singer was taken to UCLA Medical Center in a "carefully orchestrated intervention," the source says.

She "had been up since Saturday without any sleep," other sources say.

By Owen Williams, Jan 31 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy