Marriage May Have Cost Britney $45 Million    ·    November 15th, 2006

Britney Spears’ marriage to Kevin Federline has cost her up to $45 million (£24 million) in lost earnings, according to court papers.

The prenuptial agreement Spears signed with Federline before they married in 2004 stated she expected to earn $143 million (£75 million) by 2009.

But she has made just a fraction of that after putting pop to one side so she could have two children with the former dancer, 14-month-old Sean Preston and eight-week-old Jayden James.

She has not released any original material or toured since 2003 and her lawyers estimate she has lost between $20 million (£10.5 million) and $45 million (£24 million) in the past two years.

Spears’ accounts still appear healthy - she has a $125 million (£65 million) fortune including property worth $15 million (£8 million) and forest land in her native Louisiana worth $6 million (£3.1 million).

The singer served Federline with divorce papers last week, ending their brief, turbulent union.