Britney Spears has opened up for the first time about her very public split with Justin Timberlake in 2002.

The former teen sweethearts - who dated on and off for five years - split in 2002 amid rumours of Britney's infidelity.

And now after years of estrangement, Brit is finally breaking the silence.

She tells MTV News, "With Justin, he was part of the magnitude of what I had become.

"So when he was gone I was like, 'What am I supposed to do with myself?'

"He started to do an album for himself and he started to do things for himself, and I just never saw him anymore.

She adds, "When it ended I felt so alone. I didn't really want to think about the reality of it. I never faced it - I just ran."

See Brit ducking and diving the paparazzi below