A TALENTED teen, a troubled adult, a lost soul, an unfit mother, an out-of-control attention-seeker - she's been called all this and more in the 26 years she's been in the public eye.
During those two and a half decades she's had her freedom taken away from her, become estranged from her sons, found lovers and lost them again, and been both supported and ridiculed on social media.
But Britney Spears is finally ready to tell her own story. Two years after a judge freed her from the iron grip of her father's conservatorship, she's released her memoir, The Woman in Me - and she's lifting the lid on a long-held secret and many of the issues that have plagued her over the years.
"It's finally time for me to raise my voice and speak out and my fans deserve to hear it directly from me," she tells People magazine.
"No more conspiracy, no more lies. This is me owning my past, present and future."
Her book, which has been called "a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith and hope", has already topped Amazon's bestseller list.
Ultimately, however, Britney (41) hopes her book will be a source of inspiration to others.
"I want the overall takeaway to be that you should speak up. Be loud. Know your worth. Inspire people and most of all, just be kind."
She speaks of her pride in her memoir on Instagram too. "I worked my ass off for this book and had a lot of therapy to get it done so you guys better like it.
"And if you don't, that's fine too."
THE ABORTION BOMBSHELL
The biggest jaw-dropper in the book is the revelation that she became pregnant at 19 while dating fellow pop star Justin Timberlake.
She was happy about it but Justin, who was part of the boyband *NSYNC at the time, didn’t feel the same way.
Denne historien er fra 2 November 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra 2 November 2023-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ONE OF A KIND
She survived a violent stepfather and being raped by a bandmate as well as rampant showbiz sexism. Now as singer Cyndi Lauper heads off on her farewell tour aged 71, she just wants to have fun
TRUE TO HIS ROOTS
Rap icon Kendrick Lamar's recent Grammy haul has cemented his status as the king of hip-hop
RYAN'S ON A ROLLI
Ryan Rickelton has taken the cricket scene by storm, announcing himself as a force to be reckoned with
PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!
He lost his left leg as a baby, but these days Nicklaas is a star on the athletics field and he's got big dreams
KEKE'S KICKING IT!
From child star to Hollywood powerhouse - Keke Palmer shines as an actress, podcast host and film producer
NEXT CHAPTER LOADING
Werner Wessels, the creative force behind many Miss SA winners, is stepping away from pageants to embrace new opportunities
BABY SHAME GAME
Lily Collins got a lot more than she bargained for when she announced she'd become a mom via a surrogate
BRIDGET'S BACK!
Renée Zellweger returns for the fourth and possibly final outing of Helen Fielding's ditsy cult heroine, a role she has relished from day one
I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'
After months of legal hell, two aneurysms and brain surgery, Alison Botha is relieved that her attackers are back behind bars and she can focus on getting better
SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS
With Elon Musk whispering in his ear the US president has unleashed his wrath on South Africa. But how worried should we be?
