Britney Spears Recalls Running Into Ex Justin Timberlake Ahead of Painful 2007 MTV VMAs Performance

While several of Britney Spears‘ revelations about her past relationship with ex Justin Timberlake came to light ahead of the release of her memoir, The Woman in Me, the 41-year-old pop star also opened up about an awkward interaction she had with JT long after their split. 

The former teenage loves dated from 1999 to 2002 and Britney claims Justin broke up with her via text. 

In a new passage from The Woman in Me, which was released on Tuesday, Britney recalls her disastrous 2007 performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. 

The performance of “Gimme More” marked her first return to the stage following her head-shaving incident. Britney recalled seeing Justin backstage at the awards show ahead of her performance. 

“It had been a while since I’d seen him,” the mother of two wrote (via Page Six). “Everything was going great in his world. He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger. I was having a panic attack. I hadn’t rehearsed enough. I hated the way I looked. I knew it was going to be bad.”

Of the performance, which was widely panned, Britney wrote, “There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions. I hadn’t slept the night before. I was dizzy. It was less than a year since I’d had my second baby in two years but everyone was acting like my not having six-pack abs was offensive.”

The pop star noted that she “couldn’t believe” she was forced to go on stage considering how everything was going. 

“I went out there and did the best I could at that moment in time, which — yes, granted — was far from my best at other times,” she wrote of the performance. “I could see myself on video throughout the auditorium while I performed; it was like looking at myself in a fun-house mirror.”

As for her ex, he performed with Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, and others and took home Male Artist of the Year.

“Justin glided down the runway,” Britney continued. “He was flirting with girls in the audience, including one who turned around and arched her back, shaking her breasts as he sang to her.”

The memory was far from Britney’s most painful revelation about her past with Justin. The “Womanizer” singer claimed in a previously released excerpt that she became pregnant with Justin’s child and he urged her to get an at-home abortion. 

“It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated,” Britney wrote about the pregnancy. “But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young.”

ET has reached out to Justin’s rep for comment on the allegations. 

The Woman In Me is out now. 

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