After all these years, Britney Spears‘ ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib‘s ex-wife is speaking out!
Back in 2007, the pop icon started up an unexpected fling with the paparazzo after she jumped into his car to escape several other photographers. But what Brit supposedly didn’t know at the time was that he was married!
In a candid new interview with Us Weekly on Thursday, his ex, AzLynn Berry, is sharing her side of the story for the very first time! According to Berry, who married the photographer when she was just 23 in 2003, their relationship had always been rocky. She’s not even surprised that the singer may not have been aware of her at first, noting:
“He didn’t have a history of being honest when it came to his relationship status.”
Oof.
Related: Sam Asghari Fighting For MORE Divorce Money From Britney’s Assets?!
Despite his problems, AzLynn was hoping to make things work no matter what, as she added:
“I come from a very religious background [and] my family had no [history] of divorce. I [also had] a lot of people-pleasing behaviors and was consistently trying to prove my worth in order to be loved. It was kind of an impossible situation to build anything real from that place.”
Sadly, they were at a “high point” in their romance when Britney entered the picture, stressing, “It was the closest we had ever been.” And yes, they were “definitely still married” when the high-profile romance started.
While AzLynn had immediate suspicions about Britney and Adnan’s relationship, she recalled that he told her he was just trying to help the Grammy winner by acting like her personal assistant. She shared:
“Britney was aware of the incoming conservatorship. He told me a lot of intimate details [about her] … even mental health stuff.”
Interestingly, the contributing writer for Best Holistic Life magazine had no bad words for Brit — and thinks it’s true she didn’t know that Ghalib was married, which Britney acknowledged in her memoir, The Woman In Me. Adding more details, AzLynn said:
“[Jamie Spears] was trying to inform Britney of my existence. [But] if you have a choice between listening to someone who has kind of ripped away your identity and the hot guy with a thick accent that’s willing to treat you like a human being, you’re going to get what you want out of it.”
Plus, if she already knew about the conservatorship, she was probably already suspicious of what her dad was saying!
Unfortunately, this lie was exposed in January 2008 — about three months into the affair, per Us — when a photo of them kissing in a Santa Barbara parking lot was released. That truly shocked Berry to her core. Describing the awful revelation as “extremely traumatic,” the ex-wife went on:
“I’m pretty sure I called him, yelling and screaming. I probably texted him 50 times and waited for him to come back.”
It’s unclear what happened after that, but Adnan’s now-ex-wife filed for divorce on January 18, 2008 — and she doesn’t regret it at all. In fact, she couldn’t be happier the Baby One More Time performer messed up her marriage! She expressed:
“I’m so f**king grateful that, for whatever reason, this unbelievable person walked into my husband’s life and removed him from mine.”
She’s also not holding a grudge, ’cause she seems to think Brit was a victim of his manipulation just like her:
“He was very charismatic. I was never going to leave Adnan. [Britney’s] presence was the catalyst that was strong enough to end the marriage, and I’m actually very, very grateful. I know for a fact that I would’ve killed myself if I stayed in a toxic relationship.”
Wow. Guess some things really do happen for a reason.
By the way, Brit eventually called it off with the photog after she was allegedly shown evidence he was going to buy a pregnancy test for publicity, per Page Six. Then her dad filed a restraining order against Adnan in 2009, accusing him of trying to meddle with the conservatorship alongside a few other people. It was granted for three years. So, he blew his marriage up for nothing!
While the former husband and wife sparingly stayed in touch through 2010, she officially cut him off two years ago. Us Weekly had a look at one of their final exchanges — a two-sentence, handwritten note from Adnan when they split in which he apologized for the way things ended and for how the situation “got messy.” AzLynn now works as an alignment and embodiment guide and believes talking about her past will help her truly move forward, she said:
“Everyone has a right to their perspective and story. [Sharing it] is a very important part of reclaiming your voice.”
Nobody wants to go through a cheating scandal, but at least she came out of it better in the long run! So interesting to hear her finally speak on this! Thoughts?? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Michael Wright/MEGA/WENN]