WHITNEY HOUSTON - HOUSTON IN REHAB ON COURT ORDER

WHITNEY HOUSTON has little choice about her latest trip to a rehabilitation clinic - she was taken there on a court order.

The troubled singer, married to BOBBY BROWN, had showed signs of finally overcoming her drug battles in recent months, so fans were shocked when they learned the star had been checked into a rehab centre on 23 March (05).

But a spokesperson for Georgia's Fulton County Sheriff's Office says Houston was whisked off to a clinic because they received an order from the county probate court to apprehend the star.

The spokesperson tells PEOPLE magazine, "Our policy states that officers issuing this type of order do not go in uniform and that they drive an unmarked car with a cage for the person's safety and privacy."

The reason for the order and who issued it is confidential information.