Britney: 'Wedding Was a Wake-Up Call for My Parents'  3/15/05

Britney Spears wed her childhood pal Jason Alexander in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the beginning of last year (04) in a bid to "shock the s**t" out of her parents.

The pop superstar freely admits she didn't realise the chapel ceremony in Sin City was legally binding, and she only agreed to do it to upset her mum and dad.

The singer tells style magazine Allure, "I think that really kind of was a desperate cry to my family. I kind of feel it brought my family together, and that was something that needed to happen.

"I had felt lost for so long and my mom was getting my sister ready for show business, and I'm on the road, just running around in Germany with my head cut off and not knowing what the hell's going on.

"I didn't need some counselor. I needed my mom, and I needed my dad."