Justin Timberlake: "Do Not Underestimate Britney Spears"  7/26/06

Justin Timberlake has warned the media not to underestimate his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears because she is much more intelligent than her public persona suggests.

The hit maker became infatuated with Spears when they met as performers on The Mickey Mouse Club aged just 11, and they began dating in 1999 when they were teenagers. Their break up in 2002 left the singer heartbroken.

Timberlake now sees their relationship as a "distant thing", but he is still angered the constant negative media scrutiny of his ex-girlfriend since her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004.

He says, "I want to see her win. I don't think you can ever count somebody like her out. Because she may appear one way, but she's very clever."