Britney Spears and Sam Asghari‘s ill-fated marriage began with much fanfare and Hollywood glamor at a glitzy star-studded party that the troubled popstar would later describe as her very own ‘real-life fairytale‘.

But there will be no happy ending for this pop princess or her Prince Charming – who has now filed for divorce from Spears after just one year of marriage, a year that sources close to the couple are now revealing had descended into a dark and desperate state in the final weeks of their union.

In a searingly intimate look at the tumultuous last days of the pair’s romance, an insider has laid bare what life was really like for Spears, 41, and Asghari, 29, behind closed doors – away from the cameras and the dizzying, wide-eyed dance videos on Instagram.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, the source revealed how Asghari began his union to the desperately troubled pop princess under the illusion that he could perhaps ‘save her’, only to realize after 13 months of marriage that there may well be no chance of ever ‘saving Britney’.

‘The reality of life with Britney was that it was not fun and it’s not a surprise at all that the marriage didn’t last,’ the insider shared.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari’s marriage began with much fanfare and Hollywood glamor at a star-studded party that the popstar would later describe as her very own ‘real-life fairytale’

But there will be no happy ending for this pop princess or her Prince Charming – who has now filed for divorce from Spears after just one year of marriage, leaving her heartbroken

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In a searingly intimate look at the tumultuous last days of the pair’s romance, an insider has now laid bare what life was really like for Spears, 41, and Asghari, 29, behind closed doors

‘She is a damaged person and although she talks a lot about being a strong independent woman she remains damaged. It’s very sad. Sam’s a nice guy and I hear that he tried.

‘The sensible people in her life will be sad that the marriage is over. The feeling was that he thought he could save her, but maybe there is no saving Britney.’

Asghari made it clear that he has given up any hope he might have had of rescuing Spears when he filed for divorce from the popstar on July 28, citing irreconcilable differences.

The divorce, which will be handled with speed by famed celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, leaves the singer lonely, vulnerable and heartbroken – while those around her are now desperately concerned of what will become of Spears now that Asghari has left her.

Although the actor has faced a swift and brutal online flaying at the hands of Spears’ most dedicated fans in the wake of the divorce news, those closest to the popstar say that he was viewed by her inner circle as the sole crutch on which she was leaning.

The source adds that there were a number of concerning incidents which allegedly left Asghari feeling that he couldn’t leave Spears alone – with the pair effectively trapped inside the gilded cage of their lavish Los Angeles mansion.

‘They barely went out,’ the insider said. ‘They were just stuck in that house making videos all the time as that’s the thing that interests her. I think it’s obvious that there are some serious issues in play.’

Further concerns were no doubt raised when Spears revealed that she had consoled herself in the wake of the divorce by buying a stripper pole and filming a clip of herself spinning around on the bright pink apparatus wearing nothing but a skimpy leopard-print bikini.

When news of the divorce broke, she then announced on Instagram that she was considering buying herself a horse.

It’s not classic broken-hearted behavior, but Britney’s behavior since her conservatorship was lifted in 2021 has been eccentric to a degree that is genuinely concerning.

‘They barely went out,’ the insider said, noting that Spears and Asghari spent almost all their time inside the singer’s $11.8 million home in Thousand Oaks

The source said all Spears wanted to do was remain inside her home and film Instagram videos – including one of herself on a stripper pole that she posted after Asghari filed for divorce

Britney Spears stuns in leopard print bikini while pole dancing

Awkwardly, the timing of the split also throws a grenade into the release of her forthcoming memoir The Woman in Me.

Due out on October 24, it apparently features a loving dedication on the title page to Asghari, the former model who she picked out of a book to appear in her Slumber Party video in 2016.

The happy ending of their marriage is an important part of the narrative of the book – or at least it was.

Publishers say that the tome, completed with the aid of a ghost writer, ‘illuminates the enduring power of music and love — and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms.’

Painfully, it seems that the book will instead serve as an embarrassing reminder of another romance which has not worked out.

And having signed a reported $15 million deal to tell her story, the publishers may find that their star isn’t in the mood to carry out a global publicity campaign to promote it.

The romance between Spears and Asghari began when she was looking for a hunk to play her love interest in a music video.

His photo was one of the many that the star had to sift through and select from. She chose him as soon as she laid eyes on him. ‘I did not have to audition. It was a direct book,’ he said.

Britney says that a few months later she found that he had slipped his phone number into her bag. She said: ‘I was like: “He is really cute, this guy is really cute.” So then I called him and ever since then… he is just a really fun, funny person.’

Britney made their relationship Instagram official on New Year’s Day 2017, posting a photo of her and Sam at dinner.

They then made a number of exercise videos together and Asghari posed with a Free Britney T-shirt at the point where the star wasn’t legally able to say anything herself.

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Spears’ romance with Asghari (seen in 2017) began in 2016 after she hired him to star in one of her music videos

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The source said that Asghari had hoped that he could be the one to ‘save Britney’, only to realize after 13 months of marriage that there may well be no chance of ever ‘saving Britney’

Britney Spears passionately kisses Sam Asghari in cowboy hat

Her father Jamie’s control over her life and finances ended in November 2021. By that point the two of them were newly engaged. Sam had the word ‘lioness’ inscribed inside the diamond ring he gave her.

It was said that Asghari was helping her to try and reconnect with sons Sean and Jayden, by one-time back up dancer Kevin Federline. Their relationship had become strained and Federline had custody of the children since 2008.

Spears’ many fans hoped that the engagement was the beginning of a new happier era for the singer, free of the shackles of the conservatorship which was put in place ‘for her own protection’ in 2008.

The popstar celebrated her freedom by releasing dozens of videos of herself dancing, and numerous pictures of herself partly nude.

In April 2022 it was announced that she was pregnant but a month later she wrote on Instagram that she had sadly lost the ‘miracle baby’ which they both longed for. She said that they would keep on trying for a child.

She had been made to wear an IUD contraceptive device as part of the conservatorship.

In June 2022 she and Asghari were married at her home in Thousand Oaks. It was certainly a fairytale spectacle, with the bride arriving in a carriage drawn by white horses and their hooves painted gold.

She told Vogue magazine: ‘We really wanted to make this a small and beautiful moment with family and friends.’

Her two sons, Sean and Jayden, were not there, though. Their father Kevin Federline’s attorney told People that both sons were ‘happy for their mom’ and ‘hopeful that Sam and Britney are starting a great future together.’

At the wedding itself perhaps there were signs that this wasn’t a conventional union. The first dance, traditionally a bride and groom only affair, was instead Britney plus Madonna and Selena Gomez dancing to the bride’s hit Toxic. This was followed by the bride and her friend Paris Hilton singing The Stars are Blind – Hilton’s hit.

However it was clear that Asghari adored her.

A source reveals: ‘Madonna met him at the wedding and thought he was a good guy, she liked him. They had a 20-minute chat at the wedding about how to deal with her and how to understand Britney and where she was coming from. He seemed like a sensitive person.’

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When news of the divorce broke, she then announced on Instagram that she was considering buying herself a horse

Britney Spears looks gorgeous as she poses in a peach dress

Trouble was looming though. Two months after the wedding her ex husband revealed in a bombshell interview with Dailymail.com that her children were estranged from her due to her constant social media posts.

He said: ‘The boys have decided they are not seeing her right now. It’s been a few months since they’ve seen her. They made the decision not to go to her wedding.’

He blamed her social media posts for the rift. ‘I try to explain to them, “Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself.” But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them. It’s tough,’ he said, adding, ‘I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school.’

Britney reacted with an Instagram story which ran: ‘It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children … As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone. I gave them everything. Only one word: HURTFUL.’

The boys have now moved to Hawaii with Federline and his wife.

This year reports – denied – have circulated saying that the marriage was on the rocks and that Asghari was getting tired of Britney’s demanding behavior, even though he always defended her in public.

In April there was talk that they had split after she went on holiday without Asghari – or her wedding ring. She was spotted boarding a private jet with her long-term manager Cade Hudson and a teddy bear. The party spent time in Hawaii before returning to LA.

However in June Spears and Asghari were seen holidaying together in Mexico and looked in love. The source said: ‘There was a lot of up and down and a lot of drama.’