Britney’s Incredible Journey

Last September, after the glowing 27-year-old won three awards at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) - including the major prize of the night for Video of the Year -host Russell Brand declared, ‘This is the resurrection of Britney Spears.’ She was the hit of the event - a far cry from her disastrous appearance at the 2007 awards ceremony, where everything from her weight to her performance was criticized. But with the release of her sixth studio album Circus, her family back in her life and her focus returning to work, Brand's prediction is likely to be spot-on.

For Britney's family, friends and fans, the 'resurrection' may have seemed a long time coming. In one tumultuous year - beginning when she publicly shaved her head in February 2007 and ending with her admission to a psychiatric ward in January 2008 - it appeared Britney's once seemingly perfect life had spiraled out of control. She had cut ties with her family, lost custody of her sons, three-year-old Sean Preston and two-year-old Jayden James (to her ex, Kevin Federline) and allowed domineering men such as former manager Sam Lutfi to control her stellar career. (Britney has sold more than 62-million albums worldwide.)

Back to the Beginning...

But to discover exactly how far she has come, we have to go right back to when a then 16-year-old Britney had her first worldwide hit with the single ...Baby One More Time. The former child star from The All New Mickey Mouse Club was promoted with a contrary image of a sexed-up schoolgirl who was supposedly still a virgin - and she became a star.

While some have referred to her as a pushy stage mother, Britney's mom Lynne wrote in her new book Through The Storm (Nelson Current) of her family's naivety about show business, having come from small-town Kentwood, Louisiana in the US. 'Why did I say yes to Britney's career'? Easy: I wanted to help my daughter make her dream come true,' she wrote. It worked. Britney's star rose quickly and, at only 17, she appeared in nothing but lingerie on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. 'When I saw the cover, my heart sank and my face burnt. How did this happen? Lines were being crossed. Yet I foolishly thought I was in control,' Lynne wrote. From here on, Britney's story is well known: her relationship and, later, break-up with fellow 'mouseketeer' Justin Timberlake, the multimillion-selling albums and the growth of an empire, her Las Vegas wedding (later annulled), her marriage to and divorce from backup dancer Kevin Federline, the father of her children, and, of course, her lowest point, when she was admitted to a psychiatric ward early last year.

It was after the birth of her second son that things really started to unravel and her relationship with her mother broke down to the point that they didn't speak. 'I believe Britney had postpartum depression, which, added to the end of her marriage and the pressures of her career, brought her to the breaking point. So many things in her life hadn't turned out the way she wanted,' Lynne wrote in her book.

October 2008 marked 10 years since Britney released ...Baby One More Time and became a global phenomenon. Now her career has come full circle. At the VMAs, Britney thanked her fans for their support and later announced that she plans to tour in 2009. 'Really wonderful things are happening now,' Lynne says. 'It looks like things are looking up again.' Here we take a look at the rise and fall (and rise) of Britney Spears.

The interesting thing about Britney is she was always highly motivated to excel. She practiced singing and dancing so much it drove me crazy,' wrote her mom, Lynne Spears. Britney's aunt, Chandra McGovern, says, 'At any family get-together, Britney would get up on the table and sing.' Her big voice was first heard across the US on Star Search. At 12 she won a role on The All New Mickey /House Club, appearing alongside future boyfriend Justin Timberlake.

Not that Innocent

Although she was depicted as a sexy schoolgirl in her first hit video, Britney's record company pushed her 'virginal' image. It was later reported she had already lost her virginity at the age of 14 to Kentwood local Reg Jones. 'People around us pushed us apart,' Jones says of the relationship.

Justin Forever...

While Jones may have been Brit's first real boyfriend, Justin Timberlake is the one with whom she first locked lips when she was 12. 'I think I did give her her first kiss,' Justin told talk-show host Barbara Walters. They later dated for three years before splitting in 2002, allegedly over infidelity - hers, as Justin implied in the video for his hit post-break-up single Cry Me A River.