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As it happenedended

Britney Spears: Tell-all book released worldwide following Mexico ‘leak’

‘The Woman in Me’ is out now

Britney Spears book promo

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Britney Spears’s memoir is finally available to the public after pre-publication excerpts sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.

Ahead of its release on 24 October, Spears’s autobiography, titled The Woman in Me, appeared to accidentally go on sale in Mexico.

It is published by Simon and Schuster in the UK.

Among the biggest headlines to come out of the book so far are claims that Spears had an abortion while she was dating Justin Timberlake.

She also detailed the aftermath of their split, from the fallout from Timberlake’s hit song “Cry Me a River” to her fling with Irish actor Colin Farrell.

One subject that does not feature in The Woman in Me, however, is Spears’s recent divorce from ex-husband Sam Asghari after 14 months of marriage.

According to reports, Spears gave her final sign-off to Simon and Schuster mere weeks before it was announced that Asghari had filed for divorce, meaning she has “no right to demand any further changes”.

Spears pressured to work 18-hour days on 2002 movie Crossroads

The film’s producer has described how, at one point during the shoot, Spears’ team “wanted her to be recording at night after she did a full day’s work on the set”. Ann Carli recalled: “I just said, ‘Absolutely not. I’ll shut the movie down right now, because that’s not fair to her.’”

Read more here.

Crossroads producer says Britney Spears’ team wanted her to work 18-hour days

Spears starred opposite Taryn Manning and Zoe Saldaña in the 2002 film about three girls on a road trip across America

Ellie Harrison24 October 2023 08:00

Britney Spears will not read her own audiobook after ‘heart-wrenching’ time ‘reliving’ experiences

While The Woman in Me hits shelves today, the audiobook version has also been released.

But while fans had hoped Spears herself would narrate her story, the singer recently shared that Michelle Williams would instead read the audio version of her memoir

The news came as Spears, 41, admitted she’d found it too painful to “relive” her experiences once more.

Britney Spears will not read her own audiobook after ‘heart-wrenching’ experiences

Spears will read the book’s introduction before actor Michelle Williams takes over

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 08:27

Britney Spears says she learnt about #FreeBritney movement while ‘locked up’ in rehab

Spears has recalled first learning about the #FreeBritney movement to end her conservatorship from a nurse while “locked up” at a Beverly Hills rehab centre.

Following a series of mental health breakdowns in 2007, the pop star was placed under a court-mandated guardianship controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, who was given legal power over her personal affairs and finances.

In the later years of the conservatorship, which ended in 2021, a movement emerged bringing awareness to Spears’s situation after fans became concerned for her safety and wellbeing.

In The Woman in Me, Spears recalls trying to fight against the conservatorship in 2018, only to be forced to undergo further mental health evaluations and another rehab stay.

Britney Spears says she learnt about #FreeBritney movement while ‘locked up’ in rehab

Supporters of movement called for pop star to be released from her court-mandated conservatorship

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 09:07

Britney Spears recounts Colin Farrell fling after Justin Timberlake slept with ‘six or seven girls’

In her memoir, “Oops!...I Did It Again” singer Spears has compared her two-week fling with Colin Farell to a “street fight” in the whirlwind aftermath of her difficult break up with Justin Timberlake.

Britney Spears recounts Colin Farrell fling after Justin Timberlake breakup

Spears was introduced to Farrell by a ‘club promoter friend’, the US pop star writes in her new memoir

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 09:37

Britney Spears reveals story behind Justin Timberlake double-denim moment

Britney Spears has reflected on one of the most iconic fashion moments of the early Noughties: her matching double-denim outfit with Justin Timberlake.

Back in 2001, the couple attended the American Music Awards together and quickly made headlines with their showstopping Canadian tuxedos.

Britney Spears tells story behind matching double-denim moment with Justin Timberlake

Spears and her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake made headlines in 2001 when they coordinated their outfits for the American Music Awards red carpet

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 10:26

Britney Spears says she was painted as a ‘harlot’ after Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’

Spears has also opened up in the book about Timberlake releasing the music video for “Cry Me a River” after their split, and how she was subsequently demonised by the public.

“A woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain,” Spears said of Timberlake’s 2002 music video for the track.

Britney Spears says ‘Cry Me a River’ media attention portrayed her as a ‘harlot’

‘A woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain,’ Spears said of Timberlake’s 2002 music video for the track

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 10:50

Inside Britney Spears’s evolving relationship with her sons

Britney Spears’s newly released memoir is dedicated to her two sons Sean Preston, 18 , and Jayden James, 17. The two children have recently moved to Hawaii with their father Kevin Federline.

Below, you can read everything we know about Spears’s past and present-day relationship with her sons:

Inside Britney Spears’s evolving relationship with her sons

Spears, 41, dedicated her memoir to her sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 11:31

Sam Lansky: the ghostwriter who helped bring Britney’s troubled story to the page

The Woman in Me tells Spears’s story, but the singer reportedly had a little help in the process from American journalist and author Sam Lansky.

Having written a book about his turbulent teen years and interviewed A-listers from Adele to Madonna, he’s well placed to shepherd the star’s story, Annabel Nugent writes:

Sam Lansky: the ghostwriter who helped bring Britney’s troubled story to the page

American journalist and author Sam Lansky has reportedly helped to shape Britney’s globally anticipated memoir, ‘The Woman in Me’. Having written a book about his turbulent teen years and interviewed A-listers from Adele to Madonna, he’s well placed to shepherd the star’s story, writes Annabel Nugent

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 11:55

Why Britney Spears became a lightning rod for internet conspiracy theories

A wave of online truthers believe Britney has been replaced by a body double with no bottom teeth. Katie Rosseinsky explores why TikTok sleuths have been on the rise since the star’s controversial conservatorship ended:

How Britney Spears became a lightning rod for online conspiracy theorists

A wave of online truthers believe Britney has been replaced by a body double with no bottom teeth. Katie Rosseinsky explores why TikTok sleuths have been on the rise since the star’s controversial conservatorship ended

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 12:20

Could Britney’s memoir offer a blueprint for today’s troubled pop stars?

By reliving her very public meltdowns in a bleakly powerful memoir, Britney has unwittingly provided a roadmap to help navigate the pitfalls of stardom, writes Charlotte Lytton – and allowing her to get it all off her chest after 25 years of enforced silence feels like an act of kindness

Could Britney’s memoir offer a blueprint for today’s troubled pop stars?

By reliving her very public meltdowns in a bleakly powerful memoir, Britney has unwittingly provided a roadmap to help navigate the pitfalls of stardom, writes Charlotte Lytton – and allowing her to get it all off her chest after 25 years of enforced silence feels like an act of kindness

Isobel Lewis24 October 2023 12:48

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