Britney Spears, the iconic pop star, sheds light on her tumultuous relationship with Justin Timberlake in her upcoming memoir, "The Woman in Me," set to release on Oct. 24. Spears dives deep into her emotionally charged past, touching on subjects from infidelity to an undisclosed pregnancy.
In excerpts obtained by The New York Times, Spears reveals that the end of her relationship with Timberlake was instigated by a text message from him. This digital termination of their three-year romance left the star contemplating abandoning her illustrious music career. Reflecting on the aftermath of their breakup, she notes, "I was comatose in Louisiana, and he was happily running around Hollywood."
The breakup, a media frenzy at the time, was intensified when Timberlake released the music video for "Cry Me a River," hinting at Spears' alleged infidelity. The video showcased a Britney doppelgänger, igniting rumors and painting Spears as the antagonist in their love story. She counters this portrayal in her memoir, stating she felt the media depicted her as a "harlot who'd broken the heart of America's golden boy."
Spears candidly acknowledges an intimate encounter with dancer Wade Robson while still with Timberlake. However, she implies Timberlake wasn't entirely faithful either, though she stops short of naming anyone explicitly.
Perhaps the most startling revelation in the memoir is Spears' account of a pregnancy during their relationship, which ended in an abortion. Spears recalls the heart-wrenching decision, noting Timberlake's reluctance to become a father. "He said we weren't ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young," she writes, adding, "If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it."
Spears' narrative aligns with previous claims made by Chris Applebaum, the director of her "Overprotected (The Darkchild Remix)" music video. In a past Instagram post, Applebaum recounted finding Spears distraught in her trailer due to a breakup text from Timberlake. He wrote, "We sat on the floor of her trailer for a minute, talked it out, and then rallied."
Following the contentious breakup, Spears recalls being pushed into a grueling interview with Diane Sawyer, describing it as a "breaking point." She writes, "I felt like I had been exploited, set up in front of the whole world."
Sources close to Timberlake had previously expressed the singer's concerns over the content of Spears' memoir. Timberlake has not publicly commented on the revelations, and representatives did not immediately respond to inquiries.
As the public eagerly awaits the memoir's release, "The Woman in Me" promises an intimate look into Spears' world, painting a detailed portrait of a life lived under relentless scrutiny.
