The best things in life are free – especially when you're an A-list capitalist. After all, celebs can rewarded with a sickening amount of high-priced tat every time they attend the opening of a door. But some of them, such as Britney Spears, take things a bit far – with the singer reportedly once refusing to pay for a Starbucks coffee. Find out who else loves freebies too much...
Britters has repeatedly referred to the "unhealthy friendships" she made after breaking up with Well-Fed. Swept up in a new social circle, the Crazy singer tottered from high-priced restaurant to celebrity party every night for weeks – and later discovered that she'd been invoiced for every last Peperami. Who was reportedly taking advantage of Britney's largesse? Step forward, Paris Hilton!
But an addiction to freebies isn't just for those who live in LA. Rumour has it that Frank Lampard's ex, model Elen Rives, was spotted snatching far more goody bags than strictly necessary at last year's Cosmopolitan Awards. Now that Frank's taken his affections (and creaking wallet) elsewhere, we wonder if Elen is going to start stuffing sachets of generic food court mayonnaise into her handbag too.
Perhaps Elen could take a tip from Noel Gallagher's ex, party planner and appallingly-augmented London scenester Meg Matthews. After all, she was spotted at the Capital FM Summertime Ball collecting goody bags as if they were pick 'n' mix. Apparently, she felt that it was her right was to snaffle as many as possible into one big bag and leave before anybody could say anything. Classy.
The greatest goody bag lover of all has to be Rachel Hunter, a woman well-known for taking half a dozen at a time. At one particular star-studded do, she allegedly left with armfuls and returned for more – not realising that cops were trying to clear the area because it had become overcrowded.
And it's not just the girls who like to get their kicks for free. According to the New York Post, rapper Ice-T rang up a bill to the tune of £1,200 for Cristal champagne and Stolichnaya vodka at an LA club, under the impression that he was getting the grog for gratis. Upon realising his error, Ice T agreed to cough up – but, apparently, the debit card handed over was declined.
It's amazing what some people can get for nowt! Singing tangerine Michelle Heaton was recently snapped having a series of dental veneers fitted at a Dublin clinic, and it's suspected that the dentist gave her the £250-a-pop pegs for free in order to gain other celebrity clients.
However, what some celebs fail to realise is that some of their more expensive gifts are only out on loan. For example, Sharon Stone ended up in a legal wrangle when she refused to return a £200,000 necklace she wore to a premiere. The owner threatened Shazza with criminal charges; she reciprocated with a £6million lawsuit for "breach of contract" before the matter was settled.
Not only does Sean Combs charge people to attend their parties, once claiming a cool £50,000 to attend a Miami hotel opening, but he's also said to demand free drinks everywhere he goes. However, when one particular hotspot refused to give Diddy the key to the liquor cabinet, he reportedly leapt onto stage; started rapping; and refused to finish until they cracked open the vodka.
But the most reviled celebrity freeloader of our times has to be that swivel-eyed fare-dodger Cherie Blair. Not only does old letterbox mouth claim ludicrous sums for speaking at charity dinners, but she once walked away with five heaving boxes of goodies from an Australian supermarket after the manager asked if she'd like to take away "a few items". She was later forced to cough up two grand.