Britney Spears and Mel Gibson Break Bread; Are Friends

By Heather Chin
(previously published at www.thecelebritycafe.com on March 17, 2008)

The former neighbors, along with Gibson’s wife Robin, are on friendly terms and had dinner together at a Russian restaurant in LA.

Fresh off of filming a guest role on CBS’s comedy, How I Met Your Mother, and visiting with her sons, struggling pop star Britney Spears had dinner with friends – which included fellow celebrity Mel Gibson and his wife Robin.

According to Efluxmedia, the beleaguered singer and the actor/director met for a two-hour dinner at Romanov Restaurant and Lounge in L.A., where a restaurant source says that they “hit it off and… Britney seemed excited.” The Gibsons and Spears used to be neighbors in Malibu.

The dinner reportedly took place in a well-appointed private dining room, and Spears and a friend, Victoria, arrived at the restaurant first, with Gibson, his wife and some friends arriving shortly afterwards.

Rumors have circulated that Gibson may either be attempting to tap Spears for a role in an upcoming film or trying to bring her into his church, the ultra-conservative Church of the Holy Family in Malibu. However, the general consensus among media critics is that the Gibson family has simply befriended Spears and is now trying to help her through her personal troubles.

Gibson has experience in dealing with negative press and has stated in the past that he feels compassionate about Spears and her many plights.

Reports by TMZ describe the Gibson-Spears friendship as having been built over some time, with Gibson, his wife Robin and their kids reaching out to Britney “during her darkest days” to offer support.

Having friends who don’t want to exploit you can be a difficult thing in Hollywood, so current reports have made particular note of the fact that the two celebrities did not enter or leave at the same time, which effectively prevented paparazzi from getting shots of them together.