Britney broke down over Justin in distressing TV interview and begged to stop

19 October 2023 , 07:30

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Britney broke down over Justin in distressing TV interview and begged to stop

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were the power couple of the millennium - from their Disney smiles to confidently sporting matching double-denim. The duo had bonded over their small-town backgrounds but went on to become some of the world's biggest stars, with Britney having forged her successful solo singing career and Justin as a favoured member of NSync.

The teens started dating in 1999 after meeting in the Mickey Mouse Club and the level-headed Cry Me A River singer reportedly became a grounding force for the superstar, protecting her from sleazy men after her attention. "Justin had his head screwed on so straight, and he rescued her from that world," a source told Rolling Stone in 2008.

"He became the great force in her life, but it started a pattern - she began to look for guys to help her get away from the people who control her." But it all came crashing down in 2002 when the pair dramatically parted ways amid rumours she had been unfaithful.

Their separation was evidently a painful time for Britney, as she was reduced to tears in a live TV interview when questioned about what happened. And now in her new memoir, , set to be published on October 24, Britney has laid bare some of her darkest moments with ex-Justin.

The power couple met as Disney stars in the Mickey Mouse Club

Their split is said to have unfolded backstage at Saturday Night Live, where they were both performing, leaving Britney devastated. Justin retaliated with his breakout track, Cry Me A River, which featured a Britney look-a-like. The lyrics heavily insinuated that Britney had betrayed him and in a US TV interview, she opened up about his accusations.

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"I think everyone has a side of their story, to make them feel a certain way. I'm not technically saying he's wrong. But I'm not technically saying he's right either," the then 21 year old told ABC's Diane Sawyer. Asked what it was that she'd done, the singer kept her answer vague, explaining: "I was upset, I was upset for a little while.

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"I think we were both really young. And it was kind of waiting to happen. I will always love him. He will always have a special place in my heart. He's such a great person." Britney revealed that Justin did call her to warn her about the look-a-like but insisted she would never have retaliated so publicly.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were the hottest couple of the millennium

But they split in 2002 over rumours of Britney's infidelity (Getty)

She added: "I don't want to judge him or anything like that 'cause that's the way he had to deal with what happened, and that's fine, but I just… I know that if I was in a relationship and something happened, I couldn't really go there. But it's all good. Let's talk about something else."

Britney had previously declared that she wouldn't have sex before marriage, but Justin blew that out of the water on the Howard Stern show when he admitted they'd done the deed. She confirmed it was true but argued that she thought she and Justin would be together forever.

"I think in reality, if you really know in your heart of heart that you are gonna be with that person, forever, and you really think that, with all of your heart, and you're in four, or five years, you know, into the relationship, I mean, stuff can happen," she said. "You know, I mean, I, you don't go around sleeping around with people. I mean, I really thought that I was going to be with him or the rest of my life. I did."

But the star's feelings flooded over when he was asked about the initial split. At first Britney tried to smile through it, but after conceding that it 'was pretty rough', her emotions got the better of her and she started crying in heartbreaking scenes.

Asked how it felt to lose Justin, she managed to say, "Yeah, it was kind of weird. Weird. Hello. Um, oh my goodness," before breaking down. Unable to stop her sobs, she begged Diana Sawyer to move on. "I'm embarrassed. Can we stop?" she pleaded.

Britney began to sob during the interview about Justin (YouTube)

In the years that followed, Justin's anger mellowed, and he later told Marie Claire that their extreme existence as teen stars had been the key to their undoing. "I wish her the best - that goes without saying. We haven't spoken in 9 or 10 years," he said.

""We were two birds of the same feather - small-town kids, doing the same thing. But then you become adults, and the way you were as kids doesn't make any sense. I won't speak on her, but at least for me, I was a totally different person.

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"I just don't think we were normal; there was nothing normal about our existence. We spent way too much time being the biggest thing for teenyboppers. And I mean that about everybody: Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC, Britney, Christina [Aguilera]. We could literally go, 'Oh, man, let's go to Bali,' and we'd be on a plane to Bali. We were little kids with big toys. You do the math - that's not going to last."

Frances Kindon