In one of the messiest breakups in pop history, it has now been reported that Justin Timberlake allegedly ended his relationship with Britney Spears with a two-word text message.
The two iconic stars dated for a total of three years after they started dating in 1999, and while things may have seemed perfect on the outside, their relationship was riddled with secrets and scandals that slowly came to light during a very highly publicized breakup in March 2002.
Not only had the pair exchanged nasty blows about swirling infidelity rumors in the press, which have now been confirmed by the star herself, but Timberlake went on to fuel things further by writing songs that many believed were about Spears, including 'Cry Me A River' and 'What Goes Around Comes Around'.
The former Mickey Mouse Club cast member's relationship has recently made headlines once again as Spears prepares to release her memoir, The Woman in Me.
And now, to add more fuel to the fire, it has now been alleged that Timberlake broke up with Spears over a two-word text.
According to a Page Six report, the text came when Spears was just 20 and was on the set of the 'Overprotected: The Darkchild Remix' music video in downtown LA, as she prepared to "power through" rigorous dance scenes.
Director Chris Applebaum spoke to the outlet about the day, saying: "There are those people where there is something inside of them and you don’t know where it comes from — it’s like an ‘X’ factor. That’s what we saw with her."
He continued: "I was so happy that this person who was the biggest star in the world was everything I wanted her to be and then more."
However, towards the end of a tiring second day of filming, Applebaum recalled that Spears suddenly went missing for about 20 to 40 minutes, and later discovered her "sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, her makeup smudged, and in tears."
"I can’t believe it," she said as he approached her. "Look it. This happened."
She held up her phone which showed a text from Timberlake that allegedly read: "It’s over!!!"
The outlet reported that Timberlake had found out about Spears' cheating on him with dancer Wade Robson, which at the time was only a rumor until Spears recently confirmed that it was true.
Applebaum said he encouraged her to finish the shoot by saying: "If you don’t have it in you, I totally understand... but if you want to go out there and finish this last set-up in the rain, you can show him that he just made the biggest f****** mistake of his life."
In response, the pop princess allegedly replied: "You know that? That’s a good idea. I’m going to show him that he blew the best thing he ever had."
The news comes after the 41-year-old has opened up about her relationship with the 'Mirrors' singer in a tell-all memoir titled The Woman in Me.
Passages in the memoir reportedly describe Timberlake as the "love of her life" during their time together. Despite this deep connection and her desire to start a family with him, Spears apparently claims that she did get pregnant with Timberlake's baby, but the two stars decided that an abortion was what was best for them both.
Speaking to TMZ, a source close to Britney revealed that "she was raised not to get an abortion," adding that both religious beliefs and family values as reasons for her initial reluctance, though she ended up going through with the procedure.
The Woman in Me is set to be released on October 24.