Britney Spears breaks silence on 2003 fling with Colin Farrell

Britney Spears has addressed her short-lived romance with Colin Farrell in her upcoming memoir, The Woman In Me, likening it to a “street fight”.

The 41-year-old met the Irish actor, 47, through a “club promoter friend” before visiting him on the set of his 2003 movie S.W.A.T. after her split from Justin Timberlake.

In an excerpt obtained by TIME, Spears described their “passionate” fling to a “street fight”, writing that they were “all over each other”.

“Brawl is the only word for it - we were all over each other, grappling so passionately it was like we were in a street fight,” she penned.

However, Spears was soon left “disappointed” when she attended the premiere of Farrell’s movie The Recruit where he told reporters: “We're not dating. She's a sweet, sweet girl. There's nothing going on — just mates.”

The Toxic singer added: “As I had before when I'd felt too attached to a man, I tried to convince myself in every way that it was not a big deal, that we were just having fun, that in this case, I was vulnerable because I wasn't over Justin yet.

Spears dated Justin Timberlake from 1999 to 2002. Pictured in 2001 (AP)

“For a brief moment in time, I did think there could be something there. The disappointments in my romantic life were just one part of how isolated I became. I felt so awkward all the time.”

It was previously claimed that both Timberlake and Farrell’s attorneys threatened legal action, which delayed Spears book for “four months”.

A source told The Sun: “Lawyers demanded to see her book in advance and were adamant that some of the revelations were removed.

“There are still plenty of gobsmacking tales but Justin and Colin were conscious about what could be said about them.

“The legal process meant the publication was held up by four months as discussions went back and forth about what could be included. But that has finally now been settled and her autobiography is all ready to go.”

The Woman In Me is set to be released on Tuesday, October 24, but will not include any details about her split from third husband Sam Asghari, who filed for divorce in August after 14 months of marriage.