WHITNEY HOUSTON - HOUSTON INSULT COVERED UP TO PROTECT FANS

Superstar WHITNEY HOUSTON once described US chatshow host ROSIE O'DONNELL as a "fat b***h" in an interview, but her insults were censored in a bid to protect the Grammy winner's clean-cut image and keep her fans happy. The comments, documented in Newsweek correspondent ALLISON SAMUELS' new book OFF THE RECORD, were made several years ago after O'Donnell implied the singer had substance abuse problems, reports PageSix.com. Samuels writes, "After a few meetings with the top editors at the magazine, we decided not to use (it)... since many of Houston's fans did not know that side of her and it was such a demeaning statement. Furthermore, Whitney was clearly not in her right mind."

08/01/2007 12:44