Celebrated pop singer Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari have separated after 14 years of marriage.  

Spears’ husband Sam Asghari has said the pair have decided to end their "journey together" after 14 months of togetherness.

In a post on Instagram, Mr Asghari said, "After 6 years of love and 14 months of togetherness, 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."

A divorce petition filed on Wednesday and seen by BBC News cited "irreconcilable differences" between Mr Asghari, 29, and Ms Spears, 41.

The couple got engaged in September 2021 and were married in a small but star-studded ceremony in June 2022. The ceremony  was attended by celebrities including Paris Hilton, Madonna and Drew Barrymore.

Ms Spears became a global superstar after her song ...Baby One More Time was released when she was just 16. She went on to have hits including Toxic, Womanizer and Oops!...I Did It Again.

The Iranian-American actor, model and fitness trainer met Ms Spears while she was shooting the video for her song Slumber Party in 2016.

The separation comes as Ms Spears prepares to publish her memoir - The Woman in Me - this October. It marks the end of her third marriage.

In 2004, she married childhood friend Jason Alexander for 55 hours in Las Vegas, before she annulled the nuptials at the urging of her management team.

Ms Spears' second marriage - to rapper Kevin Federline - lasted from 2004 to 2007. Mr Federline retains sole custody of their two children, Jayden James and Sean Preston.