Given the number of e-mails and text messages read out by the presenters on GMTV in the morning, I assumed that their viewers were a critical bunch always ready, eager and poised to write in for any reason at all.

But on today’s showing perhaps not.

During the weather forecast at 7.30am, a graphic was displayed to indicate that a certain area of the country would be affected by high winds - that area was highlighted in red and had “12am” written on it.  The weathergirl, Clare Nasir, then helpfully said the winds should die down around about lunchtime.

It’s a bit like the old dilemna about whether a tree that falls in a forest with noone around to hear it, still makes a noise when it lands - but if Britney Spears wasn’t constantly surrounded by cameras and journalists would her life still be in the mess that it seems to be at the moment?

I think it’s hard to argue that it would.

Unlike some people, like Pete Doherty, who would appear to have brought his problems with him into public life, Britney’s have all landed fairly recently.