EXCLUSIVE: Justin Timberlake thought Britney Spears’ abortion would be their secret FOREVER – but he plans to AVOID speaking out about bombshell memoir over fears his past statements will ‘come back to haunt him’

• Britney, 41, makes bombshell revelations in upcoming memoir The Woman In Me
• Source says Justin, 42, ‘does not want to get in the way of her story’ 
• READ MORE: Britney appears dancing with knives on Instagram again

Justin Timberlake is ‘aware’ that his past treatment of ex Britney Spears could ‘come back to haunt him’ – so he is planning to stay silent in the face of explosive revelations about their relationship in her tell-all memoir, according to insiders.

The SexyBack singer, 42, looks set to be skewered in The Woman in Me, with fans already outraged after it was revealed Britney, 41, claims that he cheated on her – and that she had an abortion, aged 19, because he ‘wasn’t ready’ to be a father.

It is believed Justin, who famously dated the pop superstar from 1999 until 2002, had hoped that their decision to terminate the pregnancy would have remained a ‘secret forever.’

But despite any frustrations he may have, he will refrain from speaking out so as to not ‘get in the way’ of Britney’s chance to finally share her story.

Justin Timberlake is ‘aware’ that his past treatment of ex-girlfriend Britney Spears will ‘come back to haunt him’ following the release of her tell-all memoir (pictured in 2001)

The Toxic singer has chosen to reveal shocking secrets about their relationship after decades of being vilified for their 2002 split

‘Justin thought that the decision that they made was a decision made together and he intended to never talk about it and for it to be kept their secret forever,’ an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com.

They continued: ‘Now that Britney has mentioned it, and it will live forever in her book and whatever else she decides to mention, Justin is going to try not to say anything about it because he knows whatever he says from this point will likely be thrown back right at him.’

Britney made the ‘agonizing’ decision to terminate the pregnancy after conceiving in late 2000.

In an excerpt obtained by People, she writes: ‘It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated.

‘He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young. I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby.’

Justin, who has previously showed his support for a woman’s right to choose, is said to be prepared for his past comments about Britney to be unearthed, and is conscious that his previous behavior could also resurface.

‘He is also very well aware that past statements he has made about Britney will and have come back to haunt him,’ the source continued. ‘Justin doesn’t want to get in the way of her story, and he looks to avoid it at all costs.’

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Justin for comment. 

In recent years, the Mirrors hitmaker has shown regret for his past treatment of Britney and publicly apologized to her in 2021 following the release of the FX and Hulu documentary, Framing Britney Spears.

Justin received considerable pushback over the part he played in the undue public scrutiny that was placed on Britney after their break-up, which was no doubt fueled by his music that promoted the narrative that Britney broke his heart.

He issued an apology to both his ex – and music icon Janet Jackson – for ‘missteps’ during his career that he admitted contributed to ‘a system that condones misogyny and racism’.

‘I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,’ he wrote. ‘I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right.’

A source close to Justin has revealed that the singer had hoped that the pair’s decision to abort their child would have remained a private secret ‘forever.’ Pictured in 2001

However, he will not be making any comments that will ‘get in the way’ of Britney, 41, finally getting to share her story, according to the insider (pictured in 2000)

Months later, he went on to show support for Britney amid her battle to put her 13-year conservatorship to an end. She was placed into the guardianship by her father, Jamie Spears, in 2008.

At the height of the #FreeBritney movement, Justin tweeted: ‘No one should ever be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.’

Speaking on behalf of himself and his wife, Jessica Biel, he then added: ‘Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live.’

The Summer Love singer and Britney were in a highly publicized relationship from 1999 to 2002 after finding themselves catapulted to global superstardom as teen icons.

The pair had originally met on Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where they shared their first kiss – long before they officially started dating.

Justin and Britney, pictured in their iconic matching double denim outfit at the 2001 American Music Awards, dated from 1999 until 2002 

The duo abruptly split in 2002 and rumors soon emerged that she had cheated on him (pictured in 2002)

Justin went on to find fame with boyband *NSYNC, while Britney burst onto the music charts as a solo artist with hits including Baby One More Time and Oops!…I Did it Again.

When the pair split amid claims Britney had been unfaithful, his decision to use a lookalike of the singer in his 2002 Cry Me A River music video saw her vilified for their break-up.

Justin was said to be ‘concerned’ over what exactly Britney will detail about their past in the upcoming memoir, with a source telling Page Six: ‘He’s very curious what she’ll reveal from their relationship. It’s eating at him.’ 

According to TMZ, the singer has not just accused him of cheating – she has claimed that his affair was with a fellow celebrity.

However, Britney has reportedly decided not to name the other woman because she has a family and she doesn’t want to embarrass her.

The memoir will be released with an audio version, narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams.

In recent years, Justin (pictured in September this year) has been more apologetic about his past treatment of Britney after being forced to publicly apologize to the star in 2021

He posted a statement to apologize for his past treatment of women and apologized to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson specifically after his behavior was called out by fans

Britney has recorded a small portion of the book and avoided narrating chapters discussing her family due to the content being ‘too painful to retell,’ TMZ recently reported. 

In a statement to People, the Toxic hitmaker explained: ‘This book has been a labor of love and all the emotions that come with it.

‘Reliving everything has been exciting, heart-wrenching, and emotional, to say the least. For those reasons, I will only be reading a small part of my audiobook.’ 

She then gushed: ‘I am so grateful to the amazing Michelle Williams for reading the rest of it.’

It has been reported that only female stars were approached to record the audiobook, with the publisher originally aiming to get actress Reese Witherspoon, but she was not ‘available.’

Britney previously divulged that her memoir, which takes its title from a lyric from her 2001 hit I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, is the result of extensive therapy.

He also posted a lengthy statement on Twitter after Britney’s bombshell testimony in a court about her life under dad Jamie’s control in 2021 as she fought to end her conservatorship

The Womanizer artist addressed her followers on Instagram, saying: ‘Ok guys so my book is coming out very, very soon. 

‘I worked my a** off for this book, I had a lot of therapy to get this book done, so you guys better like it. And if you don’t like it, that’s fine too.’

Britney is the third member of her family to release their own autobiography.

Her mother, Lynne, penned Through The Storm: A Real Story Of Fame And Family In A Tabloid World in 2008 and her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, having published Things I Should Have Said last year.

The Woman In Me and its accompanying audiobook are set to be released on October 24. 

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