WHITNEY HOUSTON - HOUSTON DRESSES DOWN AS A 'BAG LADY'

WHITNEY HOUSTON's best friend has urged fans not to believe everything they see in photos of the troubled soul star - she often goes out disguised as a "bag lady." Singer CHERELLE insists reclusive Houston is so desperate to avoid fans when she goes shopping for groceries, she often dresses down, but her look never fools the paparazzi. And the unfortunate pictures have been used to illustrate how far the superstar has fallen amid recent US tabloid claims that the HOW WILL I KNOW singer's drug dependency has hit rock bottom. But Cherelle states, "That's her look. It is a disguise. She always goes like a bag lady." And the singer reveals she was with Houston when one of the scandalous shots was taken: "I said, 'This is the picture from when she got up that morning to take out the trash with the kids.'"