• Born:December 2, 1981, in McComb, Mississippi
  • Marital History:Married childhood friend Jason Alexander on January 3, 2004, in Las Vegas. The marriage was annulled after just 55 hours. Married dancer Kevin Federline on September 18, 2004, in California. They divorced in July 2007.
  • Profession:Singer, songwriter, dancer and actress
Britney Spears's debut single Baby One More Time was released in October 1998 hitting the No.1 spot for two weeks in the United States. It was released internationally early the following year, reaching No.1 in most countries, including the UK where 1.4 million copies were sold making it the biggest selling single of 1999. The provocative music video accompanying the single, featured Spears in school uniform with a bare midriff. Her debut album of the same name, Baby One More Time, was a commercial success. In 1999 she picked up 40 awards, including four at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
She caused controversy in April 1999 when she posed in her underwear on a bed, clutching a cuddly toy, on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
She has released four further albums to date, Oops I Did it Again, in 2000, Britney, in 2001, In the Zone in 2003 and Blackout in 2007.
She received a Grammy in 2005 for Best Dance Recording with her single Toxic.
Britney was born in Mississippi, but grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana, with her father Jamie, mother Lynne, sister Jamie Lynn and brother Ryan. An accomplished young gymnast, she appeared in various stage productions from the age of eight. Between the ages of 11 and 13, she appeared on the TV show, the New Mickey Mouse Club, alongside Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, now successful singers in their own right. Britney went on to have a well publicised relationship with Timberlake.
At the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003 Britney and Madonna kissed, making front page news across the world.
Recently Britney's personal troubles have overshadowed her professional life. Her battle with drugs, her fluctuating weight and custody fight over her two boys have all been played out in public.
She has also suffered from psychological problems and there's speculation that she suffers from bipolar disorder. In February 2007 she shaved off all her hair in full view of the paparazzi.
She lost custody of her children to Federline in October 2007. He now has sole custody, while Spears has visitation rights. Her comeback appearance on the 2007 MTV Music Video Awards, where she badly lip-synched her single Gimme More, was widely panned. However, despite that performance the single and album were a success, as was a cameo appearance in the US comedy show How I met Your Mother, where she helped pull in its highest ratings ever.