Six most spectacular child star celebrity meltdowns

JUSTIN Bieber’s hellish week in London has led some to suggest the pressures of fame from a young age may be starting to take their toll on him.

Footy bad boy Joey Barton tweeted that the teen star was a “smack addiction waiting to happen”.

And Barton isn’t the only one to speculate on the shortfalls of shooting to superstardom as a youngster.

Michael Jackson was once quoted as saying: “I think every child star suffers — you start to grow, and they want to keep you little forever.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom — some celebs emerge, phoenix-like, from the ashes of adolescent despair and roll on to bigger and better things.

Here we take a look at some of the more spectacular child star celebrity meltdowns.

Macaulay Culkin

The cherub-faced actor was the darling of Hollywood after starring in the 1990 smash hit movie Home Alone.

But after retiring from acting at just 14, Culkin has been plagued by rumours of drug addiction and was arrested in 2004 for possession of marijuana.

He has now become an artist and showed off his wacky apartment-come-studio in a YouTube clip last year.

                                                                       

Michael Jackson

The story of “The King of Pop” starts with his emergence as a rising star in family band the Jackson 5.

He went on to become the most successful entertainer the world has ever seen, selling an estimated 400million records in the process.

However, a lifetime in the spotlight weighed heavy on his shoulders, and he descended into prescription drug addiction.

MJ tragically died of an overdose at home in LA in 2009.

                                                            

                                                                          

Lindsay Lohan

Lohan started her career at the age of three as a child model and went on to become a huge Hollywood star.

But a string of arrests soon followed, with Lindsay being busted by cops for offences including driving under the influence of alcohol, theft and assault.

                                                                

                                                                             

Drew Barrymore

Drew shot to fame starring in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster epic E.T the Extra-Terrestrial.

But a turbulent childhood followed, and she was reportedly admitted into rehab at just 14 years old.

Happily, she has since calmed down — marrying art consultant Will Kopelman last June and giving birth to daughter Olive three months later.

                           
                                                                       
                                                                  

Shia LaBeouf

Now a movie star, LaBeouf began his varied career at the age of 10 as a stand-up comedian.

He went on to become a Hollywood actor, starring on movies like Transformers and Indiana Jones.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Shia, who has had a string of minor arrests and has admitted to taking hallucinogenic drugs.