JOSS STONE - STONE DUMPED BY GAP OVER 'UNDER AGE' ROMANCE

British singing sensation JOSS STONE has been ditched by retail giants GAP because her "under-age" relationship with producer BEAU DOZIER - costing her a contract worth $1.7 million (GBP1 million).

The soul singer, now 18, was hailed as the new face of the high street chain thanks to her fresh-faced image, but she caused outrage in America at the age of 17 by moving in with 25-year-old Dozier in Los Angeles, as she was still below the age of consent by California law.

A Gap spokesperson says, "People take the age of consent extremely seriously in America. The backbone of Gap's business is in small towns in Middle America where people are very, very conservative, especially in the Southern Bible Belt.

"As a result I think they have made it pretty clear that Stone's association with the company is over. Big companies such as Gap always err on the side of caution."

The clothing company are replacing Stone with DESTINY'S CHILD's famously clean-cut singer MICHELLE WILLIAMS - a devout Christian.