• Britney Spears and Sam Asghari at the Glaad Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in April 2018. Getty Images
    Britney Spears and Sam Asghari at the Glaad Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in April 2018. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, with her sons Sean Federline and Jayden James Federline, attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in November 2017. Getty Images
    Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, with her sons Sean Federline and Jayden James Federline, attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in November 2017. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears and Sam Asghari arrive at the premiere of Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre in July 2019. AFP
    Britney Spears and Sam Asghari arrive at the premiere of Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre in July 2019. AFP
  • Britney Spears and Sam Asghari attend the 2019 Daytime Beauty Awards. AFP
    Britney Spears and Sam Asghari attend the 2019 Daytime Beauty Awards. AFP
  • Sam Asghari wearing Zuhair Murad's Rise from the Ashes T-shirt in August 2020. Sam Asghari / Instagram
    Sam Asghari wearing Zuhair Murad's Rise from the Ashes T-shirt in August 2020. Sam Asghari / Instagram
  • Sam Asghari in Britney Spears's 2016 Slumber Party video. YouTube
    Sam Asghari in Britney Spears's 2016 Slumber Party video. YouTube
  • Sam Asghari and Camila Cabello in Fifth Harmony's Work From Home video in February 2016. YouTube
    Sam Asghari and Camila Cabello in Fifth Harmony's Work From Home video in February 2016. YouTube
  • Britney Spears and Sam Asghari in January 2020. Sam Asghari / Instagram
    Britney Spears and Sam Asghari in January 2020. Sam Asghari / Instagram
  • Sam Asghari as a child, with his parents. Instagram / Sam Asghari
    Sam Asghari as a child, with his parents. Instagram / Sam Asghari
  • Sam Asghari attends the Can You Keep A Secret? premiere in August 2019. Getty Images
    Sam Asghari attends the Can You Keep A Secret? premiere in August 2019. Getty Images

Is Britney Spears married to Sam Asghari? Singer keeps referring to him as her 'husband'


Farah Andrews
  • English
  • Arabic

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari announced their engagement in September, after five years together.

However, fans are now speculating that they have had a short engagement and had a private wedding, as Spears keeps referring to Asghari as her "husband" in Instagram posts.

Revealing her pregnancy news, Spears wrote in a post on Monday: "I thought, 'Geez … what happened to my stomach?

"My husband said: 'No, you’re food pregnant, silly'."

Four days previously, on April 8, Spears posted an image of Asghari on holiday with the caption: "Here’s me shooting pics of my HUSBAND !!!! I have to do big letters cause that what my sister has always done on her gram."

The post reads like a marriage announcement, but she then went on to say, "For the first time in my life I can actually be that girl who can act stuck up and talk to others about how I’m getting married … Acceptance and freedom are my key factors in my life at the moment and also loving this yummy man who I love so much!"

If they are married, Spears is yet to share any images from the ceremony. She has not yet spoken about her wedding plans publicly.

She had spoken frankly about her desire to have another child. In November, after her 13-year-long conservatorship finally ended, Spears posted a black-and-white Instagram photo of a baby standing on their toes, writing in the caption: “I’m thinking about having another baby !!! I wonder if this one is a girl … she’s on her toes reaching for something … that’s for sure!!!!⁣”

This will be Spears's third child and first with Asghari. The Toxic singer had her first two sons — Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15 — with Kevin Federline.

Who is Sam Asghari?

Asghari is a fitness professional, who has modelled in the past. He met Spears on the set of her Slumber Party video in 2016.

Sam Asghari in Britney Spears's 2016 'Slumber Party' video. YouTube
Sam Asghari in Britney Spears's 2016 'Slumber Party' video. YouTube

He was born in the Iranian capital Tehran, but moved to the US to be with his father when he was 12. Due to the US immigration process, his family was not able to move together.

"I left three of my sisters behind, my mum behind. My dad was out here in America and I hadn’t seen him in about five years or so. It was definitely a culture shock, coming out here with a completely different language to speak," he told Forbes in a 2021 interview.

In a separate interview, he told Men's Health magazine in 2018: "I had to leave my friends and family who I was very close with, and I knew I was moving away and never coming back."

Scroll through the photo gallery below to see Britney Spears's style evolution:

  • Britney Spears, in a pink sheath dress, attends the American Music Awards on January 26, 1998 at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a pink sheath dress, attends the American Music Awards on January 26, 1998 at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in black trousers and a cropped short-sleeved top, attends a Tommy Hilfiger party on July 7, 1999 in New York, US. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in black trousers and a cropped short-sleeved top, attends a Tommy Hilfiger party on July 7, 1999 in New York, US. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a frilled pink cropped top, attends the Silicon CDDB Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 3, 1999. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a frilled pink cropped top, attends the Silicon CDDB Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 3, 1999. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in sequinned trousers, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 1, 1999. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in sequinned trousers, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California, on August 1, 1999. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a metallic jacket and lizard-print trousers, attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, on September 9, 1999. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a metallic jacket and lizard-print trousers, attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, US, on September 9, 1999. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a spaghetti-strapped dress and pashmina, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 8, 1999. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a spaghetti-strapped dress and pashmina, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 8, 1999. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in embroidered flares and a halter-neck, attends a Grammys photo shoot in Los Angeles, California, on February 21, 2000. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in embroidered flares and a halter-neck, attends a Grammys photo shoot in Los Angeles, California, on February 21, 2000. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in Randolph Duke, arrives at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 23, 2000. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in Randolph Duke, arrives at the 42nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on February 23, 2000. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a fringed pink mini, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on August 6, 2000. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a fringed pink mini, attends the Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, on August 6, 2000. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in an orange and pink lace-trimmed coat with matching fedora, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 5, 2000. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in an orange and pink lace-trimmed coat with matching fedora, attends the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 5, 2000. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, in matching double denim, arrive at the 28th annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2001. Reuters
    Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, in matching double denim, arrive at the 28th annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2001. Reuters
  • Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, in a light taupe slip dress, attend an event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on April 1, 2001. Getty Images
    Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, in a light taupe slip dress, attend an event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on April 1, 2001. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a strapless denim dress and polka-dot blouse, attends a photo call for the film 'Crossroads' in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on March 19, 2002. EPA
    Britney Spears, in a strapless denim dress and polka-dot blouse, attends a photo call for the film 'Crossroads' in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on March 19, 2002. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in a sheer blouse and patterned skirt, attends a photo call for 'Crossroads' at Hotel Palace on March 21, 2002 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a sheer blouse and patterned skirt, attends a photo call for 'Crossroads' at Hotel Palace on March 21, 2002 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in an asymmetric silver dress, arrives at the premiere of 'Crossroads' on March 25, 2002 in London, England. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in an asymmetric silver dress, arrives at the premiere of 'Crossroads' on March 25, 2002 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in jeans and a lace blouse, attends the premiere of 'Crossroads' at Fox Studio in Sydney, Australia, on April 18, 2002. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in jeans and a lace blouse, attends the premiere of 'Crossroads' at Fox Studio in Sydney, Australia, on April 18, 2002. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in stripes and cowboy boots, attends a Barbie Award ceremony on April 21, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in stripes and cowboy boots, attends a Barbie Award ceremony on April 21, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a nude-toned slip dress, poses with one of her outfits which will be auctioned for charity during a press preview in New York, US, on May 22, 2003. EPA
    Britney Spears, in a nude-toned slip dress, poses with one of her outfits which will be auctioned for charity during a press preview in New York, US, on May 22, 2003. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in a white corseted dress, attends the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, US, on August 28, 2003. EPA
    Britney Spears, in a white corseted dress, attends the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, US, on August 28, 2003. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in jeans and a faux fur jacket, attends a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on November 17, 2003. EPA
    Britney Spears, in jeans and a faux fur jacket, attends a Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles, California, on November 17, 2003. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in a fluffy oversized jacket and jeans, attends a press conference to promote her album 'In the Zone' on December 12, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a fluffy oversized jacket and jeans, attends a press conference to promote her album 'In the Zone' on December 12, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives at the NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals on January 24, 2004 in Cannes, France. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in Roberto Cavalli, arrives at the NRJ Music Awards at the Palais des Festivals on January 24, 2004 in Cannes, France. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a satin skirt suit, attends the Baby Phat fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, US, on February 2, 2007. Shutterstock
    Britney Spears, in a satin skirt suit, attends the Baby Phat fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, US, on February 2, 2007. Shutterstock
  • Britney Spears, in a white mini and straw trilby, arrives at the opening of LAX Nightclub at the Luxor Resort & Casino on September 1, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a white mini and straw trilby, arrives at the opening of LAX Nightclub at the Luxor Resort & Casino on September 1, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a feather-trimmed bodysuit, attends the Bambi Awards on November 27, 2008 in Offenburg, Germany. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in a feather-trimmed bodysuit, attends the Bambi Awards on November 27, 2008 in Offenburg, Germany. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in a shimmering LBD, arrives at the Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on August 9, 2009 in Universal City, California. AFP
    Britney Spears, in a shimmering LBD, arrives at the Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on August 9, 2009 in Universal City, California. AFP
  • Britney Spears, in a pink chiffon mini dress, attends the premiere of 'Toy Story 3' on June 13, 2010 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. Shutterstock
    Britney Spears, in a pink chiffon mini dress, attends the premiere of 'Toy Story 3' on June 13, 2010 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. Shutterstock
  • Britney Spears, in Moschino, and Jason Trawick attend the MTV Video Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 28, 2011. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Moschino, and Jason Trawick attend the MTV Video Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 28, 2011. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Topshop, attends her UK tour launch party at Sanctum Soho on September 16, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in Topshop, attends her UK tour launch party at Sanctum Soho on September 16, 2011 in London, England. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in Herve Leger, and her son, Sean Federline, attend the premiere of 'Smurfs 2' in Westwood, California, on July 28, 2013. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Herve Leger, and her son, Sean Federline, attend the premiere of 'Smurfs 2' in Westwood, California, on July 28, 2013. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the 40th People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2014. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the 40th People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on January 8, 2014. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Tadashi Shoji, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Gatta boutique in Warsaw, Poland, on September 24, 2014. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Tadashi Shoji, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Gatta boutique in Warsaw, Poland, on September 24, 2014. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Michael Costello, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Centro mall on September 25, 2014 in Oberhausen, Germany. Getty Images
    Britney Spears, in Michael Costello, promotes her Dessous collection, The Intimate Britney Spears, at Centro mall on September 25, 2014 in Oberhausen, Germany. Getty Images
  • Britney Spears, in Yousef Al Jasmi, arrives for the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 17, 2015. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Yousef Al Jasmi, arrives for the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 17, 2015. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the Teen Choice Awards at the Galen Centre in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 2015. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Mikael D, attends the Teen Choice Awards at the Galen Centre in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 2015. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Labourjoisie, attends the 32nd MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 2015. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Labourjoisie, attends the 32nd MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 2015. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Julien MacDonald, attends the 33rd MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on August 28, 2016. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Julien MacDonald, attends the 33rd MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on August 28, 2016. EPA
  • Britney Spears, in Nookie Charm, and Sam Asghari attend the premiere of 'Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood' at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on July 22, 2019. EPA
    Britney Spears, in Nookie Charm, and Sam Asghari attend the premiere of 'Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood' at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on July 22, 2019. EPA
House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
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Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

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W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Match info

Karnataka Tuskers 110-3

J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16

Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs

K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18

Points to remember
  • Debate the issue, don't attack the person
  • Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
  • Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
  • Listen actively without interrupting
  • Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
EPL's youngest
  • Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
    15 years, 181 days old
  • Max Dowman (Arsenal)
    15 years, 235 days old
  • Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
    15 years, 271 days old
  • Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
    16 years, 30 days old
  • Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
    16 years, 68 days old
Updated: August 18, 2023, 5:40 AM