Name: Britney Jean Spears
Date of birth: 2nd December 1981

Star sign: Sagittarius

Place of birth: Kentwood, Louisiana

Married? Twice. In January 2004, she wed childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas, but the marriage was scrapped days later.
In September the same year, she married backing dancer Kevin Federline, but she asked him for a divorce in November 2006.

Children? Two, with Kevin Federline. Sean Preston, born in 2005, and Jayden James, who arrived almost exactly a year later.

Parents: Jamie and Lynne Spears

Brothers & sisters: Brother Brian and sister Jamie-Lynne
Britney Spears was one of the biggest sensations to hit the world of pop in the late 1990s, topping the charts in the UK and the US with hits like Born to Make You Happy.
She dazzled the music business in 1999 when her single and album Baby, One More Time, shot to number one in the US and the UK.

How did she start off?
She started singing and dancing in local shows and church choirs.
At the age of eight, she auditioned for Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club.
She was too young to join the show, but a producer spotted her talent and introduced her to a New York agent.
She then spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center and was in a few productions, including Ruthless (1991).
She tried out for the Mickey Mouse Club again - and this time she was successful, appearing on the show from the age of 11 to 13.

When was her big break?
She began auditioning for pop bands and caught the eye of Jive Records' Jeff Fenster.
He teamed her up with producer and writer for a then-popular Irish boyband called Boyzone, Eric Foster White, and R&B writer Max Martin.
Together they came up with her super hit - Baby, One More Time - in 1998.
After touring schools and setting up phone lines for fans to listen to her tracks, Britney eventually joined boyband 'N Sync on tour.
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What else is she famous for?
Apart from her music, Britney's known for a few other things.
Here are just some of them:
Dating 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake
Being left speechless after meeting her idol Madonna
Backing anti-fur campaigns
Attracting controversy in a stage show with a live snake
Supporting Manchester United
Writing a novel with her mother called A Mother's Gift
Getting married. In January 2004, she wed childhood pal Jason Alexander, but the marriage was over 55 hours later. The following September, she got spliced to dancer Kevin Federline, but she asked him for a divorce in November 2006.