Britney Spears on Her 2007 VMAs Performance: "Everyone Was Acting Like My Not Having Six-Pack Abs Was Offensive”

The pop star opened up about the experience in her new memoir, The Woman in Me.

The wait is finally over: Britney Spears's memoir, The Woman in Me, is officially here. And while the pop star has already opened up about quite a few notable moments from throughout her career prior to the book’s release, her latest bombshell — which recounts her first return to the stage after shaving her head in 2007 — may be one of the most interesting nuggets from her book, yet.

In a new passage from the memoir, Spears got candid about her performance of “Gimme More” at the 2007 MTV VMAs. In addition to touching on the backlash she received for “not having six-pack abs,” the star also recounted the awkward run-in she had with her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.

“It had been a while since I’d seen him,” Britney wrote (via Page Six). “Everything was going great in his world. He was at the top of his game in every way, and he had a lot of swagger. I was having a panic attack. I hadn’t rehearsed enough. I hated the way I looked. I knew it was going to be bad.”

She continued, “There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions. I hadn’t slept the night before. I was dizzy. It was less than a year since I’d had my second baby in two years, but everyone was acting like my not having six-pack abs was offensive.”

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Spears added that she “couldn’t believe” she was forced to go on stage considering how she felt, explaining, “I went out there and did the best I could at that moment in time, which — yes, granted — was far from my best at other times. I could see myself on video throughout the auditorium while I performed; it was like looking at myself in a fun-house mirror.”

The pop star added that her experience was only made worse by the fact that Justin, who took home the award for Male Artist of the Year, was having a much better night. “Justin glided down the runway," Spears shared. "He was flirting with girls in the audience, including one who turned around and arched her back, shaking her breasts as he sang to her.”

Britney and Justin started dating in 1999 before breaking up three years later in 2002. Spears eventually went on to welcome two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline while Timberlake welcomed two sons with his wife, Jessica Biel.

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