Britney Spears has criticised press coverage of her upcoming memoir and played down any bad blood, stating that it is not her purpose “to offend anyone”.
The singer’s tell-all book The Woman in Me is released on 24 October and pre-release coverage has highlighted some of the book’s bigger revelations, including the details of her relationship with Justin Timberlake and her conservatorship.
“My book’s purpose was not to offend anyone by any means!” Spears wrote in a statement shared on social media. “That was me then … that is in the past! I don’t like the headlines I am reading … that’s exactly why I quit the business four years ago! Most of the book is from 20 years ago … I have moved on and it’s a beautiful clean slate from here! I am here to establish it that way for the rest of my entire life! Either way, that is the last of it and shit happens!”
Early glimpses of the book, from an excerpt secured by People magazine and an early version seen by the New York Times, have shown the singer writing about an abortion she had while with Timberlake (“I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day … If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it’) and pain over how she was treated as part of her conservatorship, harming her mental and physical welfare (“After being held down on a gurney, I knew they could restrain my body any time they wanted to. And so I went along with it … My freedom in exchange for naps with my children – it was a trade I was willing to make.”).
In her statement, the singer continued: “This is actually a book I didn’t know needed to be written … although some might be offended, it has given me closure on all things for a better future! Hopefully I can enlighten people who feel particularly alone in most cases or hurt or misunderstood! Again, my motive for this book was not to harp on my past experiences, which is what the press is doing and it’s dumb and silly! I have moved on since then!”
Today also saw Time magazine publish a story about how Spears frames her fling with Colin Farrell, referring to it as “a two-week brawl” because the pair were “grappling so passionately it was like we were in a street fight”.
Spears landed a reported $15m from Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, which acquired the memoir in a bidding war.
The Woman in Me is released on 24 October and will be read by Oscar-nominated actor Michelle Williams for the audiobook version.
