Britney Spears recalls her horrific backstage altercation with ex Justin Timberlake at the 2007 MTV VMAs – shortly before she caused worldwide concern with a sloppy performance of Gimme More.
The pop icon, 41, who bitterly split from Timberlake, 42, in 2002 amid cheating allegations, said she was hurt by the encounter because the SexyBack hitmaker was “on top of his game” while she was ” had a panic attack’.
She writes in her new memoir, The Woman In Me: ‘It had been a while since I had seen him. Everything was going great in his world.
“He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger. I had a panic attack. I hadn’t rehearsed enough. I hated the way I looked. I knew it was going to be bad.”
Timberlake would win awards, including Male Performer of the Year, and perform with Timbaland and Nelly Furtado that night, while Spears wrote, “Justin glided down the runway. He flirted with girls in the audience, including one who turned around and arched her back, shaking her breasts as he sang to her.”
Uncomfortable: Britney Spears recalls her horrific backstage altercation with ex Justin Timberlake at the 2007 MTV VMAs – shortly before she caused worldwide concern with a sloppy performance of Gimme More
Spears’ mental health came under renewed scrutiny following Gimme More’s performance – in which the disoriented star mimed sloppily and appeared to forget dance moves
After taking the stage in nothing more than her underwear and with extremely visible hair extensions from shaving her head months ago, the singer’s big comeback came to an abrupt halt.
The performance shocked fans and was universally panned by audiences and critics.
She wrote about the moment: ‘There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions. I hadn’t slept the night before. I was dizzy. It had been less than a year since I had my second baby in two years, but everyone acted like it was offensive that I didn’t have six-pack abs.
‘I couldn’t believe I would have to go on stage with the feeling I felt.
“I went out there and did my best at the time, which – yes, admittedly – was far from my best at other times. I could see myself on video across the hall as I performed; it was like looking at myself in a fun mirror.’
When Britney started dating wholesome NSYNC star Timberlake in 1999, fans around the world saw them as America’s golden couple.
Britney shocked the world when she revealed she had become pregnant by Timberlake in 2000, with the singer having an abortion because the N*Sync star ‘didn’t want to be a father’.
Concerns: She writes in her new memoir, The Woman In Me: “It had been a while since I had seen him. Everything was going great in his world. He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger. I had a panic attack. I hadn’t rehearsed enough
The Way They Were: When Britney started dating wholesome NSYNC star Justin Timberlake in 1999, fans around the world saw them as America’s golden couple (pictured in 2002)
The Toxic hitmaker details the ‘painful’ decision to end the pregnancy in her memoir, The Woman In Me – after becoming pregnant in late 2000 when the pair were both 19, DailyMail.com can confirm.
The star claimed that although she wanted the baby and “dreamed of a family” with Timberlake, he was “not ready” for the responsibilities of parenthood and felt the couple was too young.
She writes: ‘It was a surprise, but for me it was not a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected that one day we would start a family together. This would just be a lot sooner than I expected.
“He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young. I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby.
‘I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been up to me alone, I would never have done it. And yet Justin was so sure he didn’t want to be a father.’
The star said in the memoir that the abortion was “one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life.”
Timberlake’s breakup message to Spears was recently revealed by her former video director Chris Applebaum after she revealed he dumped her via text message.
Chris, now 53, who has also worked with Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, described the moment Justin broke up with the pop star, 41.
Celebration: Timberlake would win awards, including Male Performer of the Year, and perform with Timbaland and Nelly Furtado that night, while Spears wrote, “Justin glided down the runway. He flirted with girls in the audience (photo 2007)
He revealed how he was working with Britney on the set of a music video when she received a two-word text message from Justin saying: ‘It’s over’.
Chris shared how Britney and her team worked on the video for Overprotected (Darkchild Remix) during a grueling 24-hour day of filming.
In April 2022, Chris posted a photo with Britney on set while reflecting on the story behind the photo, namely Britney and Justin’s breakup.
He wrote: “This was taken on the second day of shooting for her Overprotected (Darkchild Remix) video, he wrote. It was a (planned) 24 hour shoot day and we had one crew clock after 12 hours and a new clock in it.
‘At some point during the second shift, Brit disappeared and I went to her trailer to pick her up… only to find that her boyfriend Justin had just broken up with me via text. (Let me advise anyone reading this: don’t break up over text!)
“We sat on the floor of her trailer for a minute, talked it out, and then we got together.” He teased that it was “just one of the stories from the shoot…”.
Chris recently spoke with Page six about the message, with more details about the message and how Britney responded.
He told the publication that when he walked into her trailer, she showed her the phone and said, “I can’t believe it. Look at it. This happened.’
According to Chris, the message was simply: “It’s over.”
Chris revealed how he changed Britney’s mind about quitting work for the day, explaining: ‘If you don’t have it in you, I totally understand…
“But if you want to go out there and finish this last set-up in the rain, you can show him that he just made the biggest damn mistake of his life.”
Britney said she was devastated after Justin bedded “six or seven girls” in the weeks after they split.
It came after Britney finally admitted she cheated on the NSYNC member with dancer Wade Robson after years of rumors.
Britney and Justin were rumored to have split in 2002 after three years of dating because she had an affair with Australian choreographer Wade.
Justin later released his famous single Cry Me A River, with lyrics referring to being cheated on.
Britney said of the Good Morning America choreographer in 2000: “He’s like a child prodigy, seriously… He’s a genius. He is great.’
Still, their relationship was short-lived and Britney and Wade broke up within a year.
Shock: Britney shocked the world in 2023 when she revealed she had become pregnant by Timberlake in 2000, with the singer having an abortion because the N*Sync star ‘didn’t want to be a father’ (photo 2002)
Months after her VMA performance in January 2008, Spears was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after police arrived at her home – after she locked herself in a bathroom with her sons and refused to hand them over to Federline – noticed that she seemed to be under surveillance. influence.
Federline was given sole legal and physical custody and Spears was placed in a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold and admitted to the psychiatric ward of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Spears would regain visitation rights for her sons in July 2008 and began returning to the spotlight with a documentary and TV appearances.
She occasionally shared snaps of her with the boys over the years — beaming at the camera at a baseball game, celebrating birthday dinners, splashing around in a pool — hinting at a tender bond forged between mother and sons.
But Federline reportedly received 70 percent custody in 2019.
Notably, Kevin now has full custody of their two boys and recently made the decision to move the family from Los Angeles to Hawaii.