Model and fitness trainer Sam Asghari has filed for a divorce from Britney Spears, bringing their year-long marriage and six-year relationship to an end.
Yesterday (August 17), it was reported that Asghari had filed for divorce from the pop singer after 14 months of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences”. Per a court filing on Wednesday (August 16) in Los Angeles, the couple have been separated for around three weeks.
While Britney Spears has yet to comment on the divorce, Asghari confirmed the reports, writing in a statement on his Instagram Stories: “After 6 years of love and commitment to each other, my wife and I have decided to end our journey together. We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. Shit happens. Asking for privacy seems [ridiculous] so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful.”
According to a report from NBC News, the petition filed by Asghari will see him “seek spousal support from his estranged wife” and that he is “requesting that Spears pay for his attorneys’ fees”.
Per the NBC, the filing reads: “Petitioner has yet to determine the full nature and extent of the separate property assets and obligations of each party. Petitioner reserves the right to amend this Petition or to conform the Petition to proof.”
There have also been claims from tabloids that Asghari was looking to challenge the prenup arrangement that the couple had set before the marriage, and that he would release “extraordinarily embarrassing” videos and information of Spears if the agreement was no renegotiated.
Now, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Brandon Cohen – a representative for Asghari – said denying the claims: “There are many claims that Sam is challenging the prenup and threatening to exploit his ex-wife with videos. However, all these claims are false, and no negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her.”
The couple met in 2016 on the set of Spears’ ‘Slumber Party’ music video and began dating shortly afterward. They announced their engagement in September 2021 and tied the knot in June 2022.
In May 2022, just a month before the couple got married, they revealed that Spears had suffered a miscarriage. “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy,” they wrote in a joint statement. “This is a devastating time for any parent.”
The marriage between the couple was Asghari’s first and Spears’ third. Spears was previously married to Kevin Federline – with whom she shares two children – between 2004 and 2007, and to Jason Alexander in 2004, though that was annulled in just 55 hours.
Spears was famously released from her 13-year conservatorship in late 2021. Created by her father, Jamie Spears, the court-ordered conservatorship started in 2008 and led to the #FreeBritney movement.
In the time since her conservatorship ended, Spears has gone on to collaborate with Elton John on the song ‘Hold Me Closer’ – a reimagined version of his track ‘Tiny Dancer’. Most recently, she collaborated with Will.i.am on the club single ‘Mind Your Business’ last month.
Last month, Spears announced details of her long-awaited memoir titled The Woman In Me. “It’s coming, my story, on my terms… at last. Are you ready?” the pop star wrote in a post on social media.