Britney Spears made a name for herself as a happy, wholesome, Virgin pop star who was saving herself for marriage.
But lawyer Eric Ervin, who worked with Spears as a teenager, tells Us Weekly in its new cover story that the "virgin" image Spears portrayed was, in his words, a "PR blitz." In fact, Us reports in its new issue that Spears lost her virginity at age 14 to boyfriend Reg Jones, and that Britney was “having sex with Justin from the moment they got together” but she had lost her virginity at age 14!
Something Spears also kept secret: Her family's tragic history.
Us has learned that Spears' paternal grandmother, Emma Jean Spears, in June 1966 committed suicide at age 31. Britney's grandmother, who suffered from depression, shot herself in the chest with a shotgun at the grave of her infant son who had died eight years earlier just three days after being born.
A local newspaper article obtained by Us reported at the time: "The shotgun had been pressed against the woman's chest and she apparently pulled the trigger with a toe of the right foot from which a shoe had been removed." The newspaper reported that Emma Jean had attempted suicide three times before.
Emma Jean Spears left behind four other children, including Britney's father, Jamie Spears, then an eighth grader. Two of Jamie Spears' brothers ended up with criminal records and homeless.
More troubling details on Britney Spears' disturbing childhood -- and how it plays a part in her behavior appear in the new issue of of Us Weekly, on newsstands nationwide.