Lopez defends Spears, Lohan and Hilton

Jennifer Lopez has defended troubled stars Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, insisting the pressures of fame are responsible for their recent personal problems.

Lopez believes the party-loving young celebrities are struggling to cope with being in the public eye the whole time.

She says: "People wonder why Britney or Lindsay or Paris is acting crazy, but they don't know what it means not to be able to walk outside your house.

"'Oh, but she has millions!' they say, but that doesn't help when you can't… feel good.

"I feel so bad when I see people going through the beginnings of it. Because it's not fun. You have to learn to navigate it because if you don't, it will eat you up.

"It's a lot of pressure. And you gotta keep grounded and find a way to deal with it and hopefully have love in your life."

Lopez insists she and her husband Marc Anthony deliberately avoid socialising in places where the paparazzi are likely to be lurking.

She adds: "We established early on that our relationship was not for public consumption. When we're out there, it's because it's part of our work, but you won't catch us hanging out at some random place with paparazzi following us because we don't let them.

"And we have such a tight circle of friends, we don't have people calling the photographers saying, 'Marc and Jennifer are coming here.'"