Britney Spears’ ex-husband, Sam Asghari, has broken his silence following the singer's recent claims about their marriage.
The 31-year-old American model and actor tied the knot with Spears, 43, in June 2022, with celebrations being held at her home in Thousand Oaks, California.
However, the romance was very short-lived, considering the pair called it quits just 14 months later in August 2023.
The reasoning behind the couple's unexpected split was met with mass speculation as it occurred before the release of the pop icon's tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, which Asghari previously shared his 'honest' opinion on.
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Asghari later released a statement on their split, claiming that he and Spears would 'hold onto the love and respect we have for each other', adding: "Sh*t happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone, including the media to be kind and thoughtful."
He also implied that their divorce, which was finalised in May 2024, was significantly more amicable than news outlets first alleged.
In a March 2024 interview with PEOPLE, he spoke highly of their romance: "It was a blessing to be able to share life with someone for a long time. And people grow apart and people move on."
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On Monday (25 August), Spears reflected on their marriage in a lengthy Instagram caption in a nude photo shared to her 41.9 million followers.
In it, she referred to their time together as 'the hardest years of my life', as she captioned the post: "We’re just people so fragile and human, the hardest years of my life were my two sons gone for those 3 years."
The 'Toxic' hit-maker went on to claim that, during their marriage, she was 'cut off from calling or texting' her two sons, Jayden James and Sean Preston, whom she shares with her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
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Spears continued: "I remember in shock my secret to survival was denial and a lot of tears it's weird me and Sam were married but it almost felt like a fake distraction to help me deal with it …"
Asghari, who now has a new girlfriend, has since hit back against claims that his marriage to Spears was in any way inauthentic.
"Our marriage was very real to me," Asghari told PEOPLE, per his rep from BAC Talent.
He added: "It may have been short, but we were together for seven years. I was in love with her, will always have love for her, and wish her the best always."
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Elsewhere in her post, Spears opened up about how she knows she’s on the road to healing.
"I know I'm healing bc im hungry again like a child or baby… I'm so hungry it hurts, and when I eat it's like it's my first time ever eating in my life," she wrote.
"I believe although I loved my home there is waaay too much abuse and trauma in there…. Today I thank jesus for food it feel like telling others NO… Owning my body… and letting them REALLY know where im from.
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"My soul has never experienced food like this a day in my life… so silly and embarrassing I'm going to eat cookies and cream ice cream now…god bless u all."
Topics: Britney Spears, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships
Rhiannon Ingle