On Sunday Lily Allen was detained at the Los Angeles airport by U.S. Immigration, after which her work visa was revoked. Apparently Allen’s arrests for kicking photographers has caught up with her a bit. The Mirror originally reported that she was locked in a cell and strip searched, however her spokesman has denied that report.

“’Lily was questioned and her work visa was revoked. She was detained for five hours but not strip searched. Understandably she was upset by it.’”

[From Times Online]

Allen has an upcoming US tour in September, so getting her work visa revoked causes a major problem. On Monday, she told the Mirror “I am trying everything I can to sort this out. I don’t like letting my fans down.” She had flown to LAX from Australia to attend the MTV video music awards. Apparently her interrogation centered around her March arrest in London when she kicked a photographer outside a nightclub. After five hours and negotiations with her lawyer, she was released by immigration. The worry now is that once she leaves the US, she won’t be allowed back in. Lily told the Mirror, “’It is my intention to play my American dates in September. This depends on the authorities granting me a new work visa. I want my fans to know that I will do everything I can to be back in America in September. I don’t like letting my fans down and this is a situation that I am sure we can sort.”

Lily Allen is so awesome. I don’t blame her for going off on the photographers a bit. Yes it’s part of being a celebrity, but she seems pretty normal and like she hasn’t really changed her mindset from regular person to famous person yet. Drama follows her a bit, like Amy Warehouse, but she always manages to show up for her gigs and do well. I think the reason I really like her is that she has pictures of herself dressed like a panda bear on her myspace page. And frankly, that’s about all it takes for me to like someone.

Picture note by JayBird: Here is Lily Allen performing at Somerset House in London three weeks ago. Header image is Lily at the Make Space Youth Review on 7/11. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Update by Celebitchy: This seems like a false story, as NME reports that her manager has said that it’s “rubbish” that she was denied a VISA and that “She’s in Las Vegas [shooting a video] right now.” She will be on tour in the US next month. [via ONTD]