Are Mel & Britney more than just friends?

Yes, of course
You're Britney Spears. It's Saturday night and the kids are tucked up at home with their dad... what are you going to do? Head out with a 52-year-old actor who has a reputation for being a ladies man... and then not expect people to ask questions!?

Add the fact that Brit's been serial dating since she left rehab, and that she and Mel were booked into the private dining area at Romanov's Russian Restaurant, and you can see why the world's jumped to a scandalous conclusion.

"They seemed to be having a good time," revealed a diner, who said the couple stayed for over two hours then left separately. We're just wondering... where was Mel's wife?

No way!
Rather than being a romantic figure in Britney's life, Mel - along with his wife Robin - has taken the troubled 26-year-old under his wing.

"Mel understands what she's going through. And he certainly has advice on how to not let it destroy your life," revealed a friend of the star, who was arrested for DUI in 2006 and has battled his own alcohol addiction for years.

Even back in 2006, Mel reached out to Brit to offer his support, saying, "She never gets a moment... Your heart goes out to her because I'm positive that, at her core, she's a good woman". And with his twin sons currently in rehab, their relationship is more about support than romance.