After going through the lists of famous – and not-famous – men trying to find love, Spears finally went with childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander. Marrying him in January 2004 at A Little White Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Britney’s wedding look was a maroon cap and low-rise jeans. Like most Vegas weddings, it didn’t last long.
In fact, the speed of this divorce has become a legendary tale about celeb marriages. Just fifty-five hours after the wedding, Britney filed for the marriage to be annulled, stating that when she married Alexander, she “lacked understanding of her actions.”
A Long List of Lovers
After her heartbreaking breakup with Timberlake, Britney hit the dating field. Whether it's famous actors like Colin Farrell or Jared Leto, or musicians like Fred Durst, Britney barely had a moment to herself. It was Durst who came with some controversy, however.
In 2003, at the height of both of their careers, the Limp Bizkit front-man worked on a song with Spears, and they soon got into a relationship. Well, he thinks they did, at least, though Britney has denied all of his claims. Whether or not he was telling the truth, he later went on record saying, “I just guess at the time it was taboo for a guy like me to be associated with a gal like her.”
Album Number Four
In November of 2003, Britney's fourth album, "In the Zone,” hit shelves. It sold over ten million copies and produced four singles, the first of which was a collab with Madonna called “Me Against the Music.” The other three singles were “Every time,” “Outrageous,” and “Toxic.” The video for “Toxic” won Britney her first Grammy award for Best Dance Recording.
By this time, Spears had taken over most of the creative control of her material, writing and co-producing all of it. Vibe referred to the album as “a supremely confident dance record that also illustrates Spears's development as a songwriter.”
The Mega-Star Halts
Britney was at the top of her game. She was the ultimate name in pop stars, and breakups and marriages aside, nothing could stop her. She was friends with Madonna, had just released a highly-regarded fourth album, was on a huge promotional tour, and had won a Grammy. Two months into the tour, however, tragedy struck.
While filming a music video, Spears fell and wrecked her knee, requiring arthroscopic surgery, six weeks of brace wear, and eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation. She had to cancel the tour, and for the first time in six years, she had to put her career on hold. This period of rest produced plenty of problems.
K-Fed
While rehearsing for the "In the Zone" tour, Spears met and became romantically attached with Kevin Federline, a backup dancer for pop band LFO. In July of 2004, while she was recovering, the couple announced that they would be married.
They had known each other for three months, and the relationship came with plenty of issues. Federline had just broken up with actress Shar Jackson – while she was pregnant with their second child. The tabloids had a field day, piling negative attention on the couple, and it was nowhere near the end of the problems for Spears.