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WHEN child stars go off the rails, it's never pretty. The breakdowns of stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have gone down in pop culture history.

Here are 9 child stars who crashed and burned in spectacular fashion after finding fame too early.

 Li-Lo went from fresh-faced child star to bad girl in no time
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Li-Lo went from fresh-faced child star to bad girl in no time

Lindsay Lohan

Having risen to global fame at the age of 12, following her role in the 1998 Disney remake of The Parent Trip, throughout her teens and early 20s, Lindsay Lohan began attracting media attention for her love of partying.

In 2006 she attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and in 2007 she was hauled in by police in Los Angeles for drunk driving and possession of cocaine after losing control of her Mercedes.

After failing to attend her court-ordered weekly alcohol education classes, Lindsay was sentenced to 90 days in jail in 2010, but only served two weeks due to prison overcrowding.

She was back in prison in 2011 as a judge found she violated the probation she was served in 2007.

Lindsay was swiftly placed back on it for taking a necklace from a jewellery store without permission.

In 2012 she was in trouble again for allegedly assaulting a woman outside a New York nightclub.

And in 2016, after she'd reportedly ditched her party girl ways and got her life on track, she was disturbing her London neighbours as she rowed with Russian lover Egor Tarabasov.

She threw his phone in the sea after a holiday bust-up, and was forced to deny stealing £24k worth of his belongings when they broke up.

 Britney's dramatic 2008 breakdown was one of the biggest child star crashes
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Britney's dramatic 2008 breakdown was one of the biggest child star crashes

Britney Spears

The singer was already pretty famous in America prior to her smash hit Baby One More Time in 1999.

In 1992, Britney Spears was cast in the revival of The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell.

Her first album was the biggest selling ever by a teenage artist and her second, Oops... I Did It Again was one of the best-selling of all time.

But by 2006 she'd started to go off the rails.

Having split with husband and father to her two children Kevin Federline, Britney checked in to a drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua in 2007.

She didn't stay the day and the following evening she shaved her head and got two tattoos.

She admitted herself to other treatment facilities during the following weeks and lost custody of her kids to Kevin later that year.

In 2008 she was hospitalised after police arrived at her home and believed she was on drugs.

However Britney bounced back to become a total boss, getting super toned, releasing more chart-topping albums and even becoming a judge on The X Factor USA for one season.

 Miley Cyrus lived out her rebellious phase in the public eye
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Miley Cyrus lived out her rebellious phase in the public eye

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus kick-started her career after winning the role of cute, baby-faced Disney star Hannah Montana at the age of 11.

In 2009 Miley began to redefine her image and by the time she released her fourth album, Bangerz, in 2013 her sexually explicit behaviour and lyrics sparked widespread controversy.

In 2010, at 18, she was caught on camera smoking a bong and in 2012 she chopped off her famous brown locks in favour of a short pixie crop.

She was catapulted back into the spotlight after gyrating against Robin Thicke during a performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and appearing 'naked' in her music video for Wrecking Ball.

 Macaulay Culkin has changed huge amounts since Home Alone
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Macaulay Culkin has changed huge amounts since Home Alone

Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin gained fame as a nine-year-old lad when he won the lead role in the 90s Home Alone films.

He went on to appear in around 10 films over the following four years, becoming the highest paid child star in history.

But he quickly spiralled out of control, getting arrested for possession of marijuana, Xanax and clonazepam in 2004 and moving away from acting to take jobs as a roadie for touring rock bands.

In 2012 a US magazine claimed Macaulay had developed a serious addiction to heroin and was blowing around £4,525 ($6,000) a month on his habit - though he recently denied these claims.

 Justin Bieber transformed from tween star to bad boy
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Justin Bieber transformed from tween star to bad boy

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber was discovered through his YouTube videos covering songs in 2007 at the tender age of 13.

A week later he was singing for Usher and in 2009 he released his debut EP My World which went platinum in the US.

But fame went to Justin's head, and after several brushes with the law he was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of driving drunk with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence.

Police said Bieber told authorities he had consumed alcohol, smoked marijuana and taken prescription drugs.

This sparked a petition for the Canadian singer to be deported from the US.

In 2014 he was in trouble again for throwing eggs at his neighbour's house and a video which emerged showed him telling a joke about black people using the n-word.

And in 2017 he hit a photographer with his car, leading the man to be hospitalised - but did not face charges.

 Mischa Barton has been arrested over drink driving and drug possession
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Mischa Barton has been arrested over drink driving and drug possession

Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton's first famous film role was in the 1997 film Lawn Dogs, where she starred alongside Sam Rockwell as a child with a crush on the family gardener.

She continued acting into her teens, where she landed the role of Marissa Cooper in The OC, catapulting her to mainstream fame.

But she also fell prey to the curse of the child star.

In 2007 she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and without a valid license as well as possession of marijuana, while she was involuntarily sectioned for two weeks in 2009.

A year later in 2010 she was sued by her landlord in New York for refusing to pay £15,982's worth of rent on her flat.

In 2015 she sued her own mum for breach of contract and theft regarding a house they shared in California.

She was also involved in an upsetting sex tape scandal, winning a case against two former lovers who threatened to share explicit footage of her in June 2017.

 Haley Joel Osmont's personal life took a nose dive after he starred in The Sixth Sense
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Haley Joel Osmont's personal life took a nose dive after he starred in The Sixth Sense

Haley Joel Osment

Haley shot to fame as the kid who saw dead people in sci-fi flick The Sixth Sense.

Having enjoyed a successful career as a child actor, his personal life took a nose dive in 2006 when he was arrested for drunk driving and drug possession after a car crash which left him with a broken rib and a fractured shoulder.

He was sentenced to three years of probation, numerous hours in alcohol education programs and multiple fines, causing his acting career to be put on hold.

 Gary Coleman struggled after suing his own parents for embezzlement
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 Gary Coleman struggled after suing his own parents for embezzlement

Gary Coleman

Gary found fame on TV show Diff'rent Strokes as Arnold Jackson in the 1980s.

But after a successful career as a child actor he struggled financially later in life.

In 1989 he successfully sued his parents and business adviser for embezzling his assets, but declared bankruptcy 10 years later.

In 1998 he was charged with assault while working as a security guard and in 2010 he was arrested after allegedly attacking his wife Shannon Price, then 24, at their home in Santaquin, though he was released the following day.

He died that year of an epidural hematoma at the age of 42.

 Edward Furlong went from Hollywood heartthrob to drink and drug addict
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Edward Furlong went from Hollywood heartthrob to drink and drug addict

Edward Furlong

Edward Furlong shot to fame playing young John Connor in 1991 blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and went on to become one of Tinseltown's hottest properties.

The actor landed roles in movies such as American Heart, American History X and Detroit Rock City, and cemented his place as a Hollywood heartthrob.

His popularity waned after the 1990s and he suffered a slew of personal problems including a well-documented battle with drink and drug addiction.

He has also served time in jail following numerous brushes with the law, and has been treated in rehab.

He has begun to take acting roles again however he cuts a very different figure to 25 years ago, having grown his hair and put on some weight now he has reached 39 years old.

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