Nearly two decades after Britney Spears insinuated that she lost her virginity to now-ex Justin Timberlake, she is telling a different story in her The Woman in Me memoir.
A source confirms to Us Weekly that Spears, 41, writes in her book about the guy she “lost [her] virginity to,” identifying him only as the childhood best friend of her brother, Bryan Spears. Bryan’s friend was a 17-year-old senior in high school and Britney was a freshman.
Back in 2003, Britney told W magazine that she had only slept with “one person my whole life,” while referring to Timberlake, now 42.
“It was two years into my relationship with Justin. And I thought he was The One. But I was wrong. I didn’t think he was gonna go on Barbara Walters and sell me out,” she told the magazine at the time.
Timberlake had appeared on 20/20 with Walters earlier that year. After Walters asked whether Britney had “kept her promise to wait until marriage,” Timberlake infamously burst out laughing.
“The most painful thing I’ve ever experienced was that breakup,” Britney added to W magazine. “We were together so long, and I had this vision. You think you’re going to spend the rest of your life together. Where I come from, the woman is the homemaker, and that’s how I was brought up — you cook for your kids. But now I realize I need my single time. You have to do your own thing.”
Britney and the former ‘NSync singer, who met on the set of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, started dating in 1999. They ultimately split in 2002 over reports of infidelity. Us previously confirmed that Britney writes about Timberlake’s alleged indiscretions in The Woman in Me, noting there were a “couple” of instances.
In her book, Britney further alleges that Timberlake eventually broke up with her via text message, which left her feeling “clinically in shock” and “devastated.”
Timberlake, for his part, has not publicly addressed Britney’s book allegations, but a source told Us that he is trying to “distance himself” from the memoir.
“Justin will always be supportive of Britney and all of her endeavors, but he’s trying to distance himself from her upcoming book,” the insider told Us earlier this month. “It’s not something he’s focusing too much on in terms of anything she might discuss when it comes to their former relationship.”
The Woman in Me hits bookstore shelves on Tuesday, October 24.
