Madonna has been spotted comforting her teenage daughter on a busy New York street.

The singer and her 14-year-old daughter Lourdes visited the Kabbalah Centre in the American city yesterday. As they left, Lourdes looked visibly upset.

The young girl appeared on the verge of tears, even putting her hands up to cover her face at one point.

Madonna has on hand to help though, and placed a protective arm around the teenager. Dressed in tight brown trousers, large sunglasses and a hat, the singer's only concern was for her daughter.

She was seen whispering into her ear as she comforted her and then helped her into a waiting vehicle.

The cause of Lourdes' distress in unknown, although Madonna's other children seemed unaffected by the situation. Rocco, 11, David, six, and five-year-old Mercy were all also in attendance but looked happy and relaxed.

Madonna has been a follower of the Kabbalah religion for several years. It has links to Judaism and the 53-year-old says her dedication to the religion has changed her life.

' heard what he had to say and I knew at this moment my life would never be the same,' she said of her first lesson in Kabbalah.

'Life no longer seemed like a series of random events. I also began to see that being rich and famous wasn't going to bring me lasting fulfilment and that it was not the end of the journey.'