BRITNEY SPEARS: HAPPIER THAN EVER
After a tumultuous few years, the star is smiling again
One look at pop star Britney Spears’ Instagram and it’s obvious she’s all loved up. From sharing adorable snaps poolside with her boyfriend Sam Asghari to captioning intimate snaps stating “I love this man’’, she’s beyond smitten with the personal trainer. Spears, who stepped out and made a rare public appearance with her boyfriend, sparked engagement buzz on July 23 at the Los Angeles premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but a source tells WHO she’s not engaged. It appears the sparkly ring she was sporting was merely a fashion choice.
The couple, who became Instagram official on New Year’s Day 2017, are happy
with how their three-year relationship is progressing and are in no rush to change anything. “He works during the week and often has photo shoots, but tries to spend most weekends with Britney,” a source tells WHO. “It’s great for Britney to spend time with Sam. He takes her out for things that she loves like shopping and restaurants. He is a great guy. He is always very sweet and protective of Britney.”
Spears and Asghari met on the set of her 2016 ‘Slumber Party’ music video. In January 2017, she revealed the pair were “basically forced” to get to know one another on the set.
“We were shooting and we were doing this scene where I was doing the walk scene through the hall to go through the door to go to the bedroom, and we were sitting there and we were waiting and waiting together for 20 minutes at a time,” she said at the time. “So we were basically forced to talk to each other and he has no idea
– I mean, he knows my name –but he doesn’t know me as a person. He’s like ‘What is this girl like?’ and I have no idea who the hell he is,” she recalled.
In turn, Asghari has gushed about his girlfriend, saying he got butterflies when he first met the singer. “I was excited that I get to meet one of the biggest artists of all time. I had butterflies,” he told US Men’s Health last year.
Despite rumours of their engagement, Spears has said she may not ever tie the knot again after her 2007 divorce from Kevin Federline, who’s also the father of her sons Sean, 13, and Jayden, 12. The ‘… Baby One More Time’ star also appears to be bruised from her first marriage – a speedy Las Vegas wedding to childhood friend Jason Alexander – which was annulled after just 55 hours. During a 2016 Carpool Karaoke segment with James Corden, Spears revealed: “I think I might not ever get married … I mean, I may French kiss someone, but I’m not going to marry anyone. I don’t believe in marriage anymore.”
Even so, things are still going well for Spears and Asghari, who is very supportive of her motherly duties, having recently taken to Instagram to pay tribute to her on Mother’s Day in America. “Happy Mother’s Day to all
“[Sam] is always very sweet and protective” —a source
the beautiful mothers out there doing the toughest job in the world!” he wrote alongside a snap with his lover at dinner.
Although Asghari is 12 years her junior, the 25-year-old is attentive to his famous partner, particularly during times of despair. Spears, 37, has faced some adversity, most recently being her father Jamie’s health battle and her own mental health issues.
The singer pulled the plug on her Britney: Domination Las Vegas residency in January, saying she needed to “[dedicate] my focus and energy to care for my family” instead, and then admitted she’d checked into a mental health treatment facility in April – which prompted him to share a message of support to his partner. “It isn’t weakness,” he wrote on his Instagram Story. “It’s a sign of absolute strength, people should only be inspired by this, at least I am.”
“Sam has stuck by her side throughout all of her recent struggles and knows this is just a phase in Britney’s life that they will have to adjust to right now,” a source tells E! News, even explaining Asghari had been “very helpful in making sure Britney did whatever she needed to feel better’’ – which also meant he checked in on her and made sure he was “by her side’’. Too sweet!