Stop The Presses!

Lose him... he is holding you back
Delta's mum in tug-of-war over boyfriend Brian
by Nui Te Koha

A TUG-of-love for Delta Goodrem has erupted between mother Lea and boyfriend Brian McFadden.

Manager Lea and a team of advisers have told the pop princess to ditch her boyfriend of two years because he is ruining her career.

But in an angry letter to Team Delta, seen by The Sunday Mail, McFadden warned his detractors to back off.

Goodrem, who is yet to start work on a make-or-break album, and McFadden are still smitten as they parade the world on a seemingly endless holiday. This week they were in the Bahamas, then London.

But behind the scenes, Lea has warned Delta, 21, that McFadden has stalled her rise to the top.

"Lose him," Lea Goodrem has told her. "He is holding you back."

Sources close to Goodrem say influential US music figures agree with Lea's judgement.

Indeed, industry heavyweights say Lea, often portrayed as a controlling 'stage mother', deserves kudos for taking Delta's career so far.

Insiders say Lea's private dislike of McFadden, 26, has not strained her relationship with Delta. But advisers have urged Lea to show the same mother-knows-best resolve with the next phase of Delta's career.

McFadden, a former member of top-selling boy band Westlife, wants Goodrem to sign with his management group. But Team Delta is strongly opposed to the move.

Goodrem supporters cite his lack of hits as a solo performer and fading profile since he left Westlife two years ago.

McFadden is also fighting for custody of his two children with Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona.

But in a fiery missive to Team Delta, he said: "You don't know anything about my career or future. Delta is am intelligent, talented woman who is making decisions by herself. Be choice with your words in the future."

McFadden, who sold 30 million albums with Westlife and had a British No. 1 solo single, accuses his rivals of having "little knowledge of the music industry on a global scale."

Earlier this month, Goodrem met Irving Azoff, the US power broker who manages superstars The Eagles ad Christina Aguilera. Those secret talks came as a frustrated Goodrem put her US ambitions on hold.

"The timing wasn't right and timing is crucial for a new artist," Goodrem said last month.

A merger at Goodem's record company SonyBMG, and delays in releasing her album in the US affected her career momentum.

But meetings with important figures like Azoff suggest a second strike is imminent.

Delta has described Lea as her rock of support. Lea has helped her daughter through management fallouts, a cancer battle and a failed romance with tennis star Mark Philippoussis.

~ The Sunday Mail