They’ve been together for nearly five years, through turbulent times, and tied the knot just seven months ago. But last week, there was more drama from Britney Spears and Sam Asghari after she reportedly suffered a “meltdown” at a Californian restaurant.
The Toxic singer, 41, “caused a scene” at Joey in Woodland Hills – with eyewitnesses claiming that she was acting “manic” and “talking gibberish,” prompting the former personal trainer to “storm out”.
Britney later addressed the incident with her 41.6 million Instagram followers, captioning a video of herself with her middle finger to the camera, “The news is all hyped about me being a little drunk at a restaurant.”
But a source close to the couple says the incident has put pressure on the newlyweds – so much so that in a bid for more privacy, they’re considering moving to Montecito – where Prince Harry and Meghan currently live.
“Britney believed that being freed from her conservatorship would be the answer to her troubles,” the insider tells Closer.
“But while many A-listers have coping mechanisms for the attention they attract, Britney doesn’t and that’s starting to cause tension between her and Sam. It’s causing some members of their inner circle to fear they may be heading for a heartbreaking divorce if they can’t resolve their differences.”
Britney was infamously trapped in a conservatorship which gave her father Jamie complete control over her personal, medical and financial affairs for nearly 14 years – leaving her unable to do simple things like drive a car or even buy coffee. She was finally freed from the arrangement in November 2021, and immediately married model Sam – who she met on the set of her 2016 music video Slumber Party – in a lavish ceremony at their home last June. She was surrounded by guests including Paris Hilton, Drew Barrymore and Madonna.
But while she should be celebrating her freedom, life for Britney hasn’t been plain sailing. The Grammy award winner often attracts negative attention with her raunchy social-media posts, and is still plagued with sadness over ongoing feuds with her ex-husband Kevin Federline and their sons, Preston, 17, and Jayden, 16.
And the source adds that Britney’s struggles and Sam’s desire to enjoy the first year of being newlyweds has left them butting heads.
“Sam loves going out, but it’s becoming clear that doing that with his wife is extremely complicated,”says the source.
“Sam understandably doesn’t want to be holed-up at their mansion 24-7, but it feels like most times they venture out, there are problems and it’s creating some resentment on his part, which is causing rows and putting a strain on their marriage.
“The transition of him being her ‘protector’ during the trial to now adjusting to their new way of life, has been challenging and Sam is starting to realise the huge responsibility of being married to one of the most famous women on Earth.”
And although their start to married life hasn’t exactly been wedded bliss, their loved ones are hoping they can both work out a way to compromise and stay together.
“Sam’s friends have encouraged him to have some much-needed space, but he says Brit doesn’t like to be away from him, which causes more arguments,” the source continues. “Sam’s continuing to encourage Brit to do her therapy and they’re looking at more remote places in California – such as Montecito – they can move to for more privacy.
“Right now, Sam and Brit are going through a rough patch, but ultimately they’re both trying their best to work through these problems and ensure that they don’t let anything destroy them.”