Britney Spears Named Most Controversial of 2006  12/22/06

Pop superstar Britney Spears has been named the most controversial celebrity of the year (06).

The singer beat out competition from other potential candidates including Mel Gibson, Michael Richards and Naomi Campbell to land the title on the Showbiz Tonight section of US TV's CNN Headline News.

In 2006, Spears hit the headlines for incidents including driving with her infant son Sean Preston sitting on her lap; having social services call round to investigate reports the boy fell out of this high chair; posing nude on the cover of Harper's Bazaar while pregnant; and filing for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline weeks after giving birth to their second child Jayden James.