WENN wrote: Pregnancy scare led to Britney and Justin split

Los Angeles, 24 May 2002: Britney Spear's love split from Justin Timberlake was caused by a pregnancy scare.

The 20-year-old pop princess, who insists she's still a virgin, reportedly ruled out sex with the 'N SYNC hunk after thinking he'd impregnated her.

Timberlake soon grew tired of his girlfriend's sex rules and her public insistence that they hadn't slept together, and demanded some time apart.

A friend reveals to American tabloid National Enquirer, "They waited years to be sexually intimate, and almost as soon as they were, they had to face the prospect of having a child together before they were really ready.

"Britney was horrified over what her young female fans would think of her becoming pregnant outside marriage. If she became a mum her career would be kaput - and so would the healthy, moral image she has projected for years.

"They stopped sleeping together while they dealt with the issue, and, with their sex life at a standstill, Justin dumped her."

The couple are now back together after Britney called her ex from the road on a recent tour on the pretext of finding out about the Hollywood home they share and what their friends were up to.