Semi nude Britney photos sold to Aussie magazine

Semi-nude photos of Britney Spears taken by "close friend" paparazzo Adnan Ghalib have reportedly been sold to an Australian magazine for more than $50,000.

The snaps of Spears wearing a t-shirt were taken by Ghalib kneeling in front of her as "she stands in her skivvies", celebrity website X17 online reports.

The website suggests the photos were taken the night Spears was videotaped on a hotel balcony sharing a lollipop with Ghalib after she was released from hospital.

Australian gossip magazines contacted by ninemsn have either denied paying for the photos, or refused to comment. Who magazine, rumoured to be the buyer, was yet to respond at the time of writing.

In the balcony video, the mother-of-two is shown wearing a t-shirt and jacket with no pants.

Ghalib had reportedly been trying to sell the photos through his Finalpixx photo agency for an original asking price of $5.6 million, but the amount dropped drastically after tabloids passed on the snaps.

The agency's website has posted a photo of the pair claiming the two are "dating" and denied reports that photos of Spears were being shopped around for profit.

"Britney and Adnan did not vanish this past weekend, they simply chose to spend some much-needed quality time away from the constant pressure of being hounded by the media," the website posts.

"Despite such heavy scrutiny, the pair are enjoying a healthy, normal relationship and contrary to reports Adnan is absolutely Notshopping his story via Finalpixx for $5 million US dollars."

Meanwhile, Spears' family has lashed out at TV therapist Dr Phil after he "crossed the line" by talking publicly about his visit to the hospitalised singer on the weekend.

A spokeswoman for Spears' mother Lynne told US show Today that Dr Phil had betrayed the family's trust by talking to the media about the star's mental health.

Spears was hospitalised after refusing to return her two boys to the custody of ex-husband Kevin Federline, which resulted in standoff with police last Thursday night.

Via ninemsn.com.au