( CM ) - Actress ROSIE O'DONNELL wants to take BRITNEY SPEARS' place as the celebrity face of "mental illness", to relieve the pressure on the troubled star.
The former talk show host believes both she and Spears may suffer from bipolar disorder - but insists she is better equipped to deal with the illness and the press intrusion.
Speaking on U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America on Tuesday (08Apr08), O'Donnell says, "I have been on anti-depressants since Columbine (1999 high school shooting).
"I sort of feel Britney has become the poster child (for mental illness). The kid is very young. She never had a childhood. She never rode a bigwheel.
"Rather than put her face on mental iilness, or Brooke Shields - who had postpartum depression - use me."