Britney Spears' Ex Jason Alexander Claims He Was 'Tricked' Into Annulling Marriage

Britney Spears' infamous 55-hour marriage to her first husband Jason Alexander ended due to "controlling forces." More than 15 years after the former couple tied the knot in at a Vegas chapel in 2004, Alexander opened up about the end of their relationship to the Mail On Sunday. Although their marriage was annulled by way of a petition that claimed Spears "lacked understanding of her actions," Alexander said he was "tricked" into annulling their union under the premise that their relationship could continue.

Speaking on the outlet amid Spears' ongoing conservatorship case, Alexander said he "was tricked by her mum, dad and lawyers into signing the annulment." According to Alexander, who said he "loved her and was a naive kid who had been raised to trust and respect my elders, just like she had," they were told that "if we still felt the same way about each other in six months, then we could have a big, white wedding." However, that wasn't true, and Alexander said he was strung along "for 30 days, which was how long it took to get the annulment finalized, so I couldn't contest it." After those 30 days, "they changed Britney's number so I couldn't talk to her." Looking back on it now, the 39-year-old businessman said the "destruction" of their marriage "should have rung warning bells."

"The men in black swooped in, along with her mum and other family members, and they made us sign paperwork under duress to end our marriage. We didn't want to annul it. They lied to us. It was always about controlling Britney and controlling her money," he said. "She's been living a nightmare far worse than anyone can imagine for far longer than people realize."

According to Alexander, while their short marriage was portrayed by the singer's PR team as a joke taken "too far," he and Spears "always had feelings for each other… I was in love with Britney before she was Britney Spears." At the time of their relationship, Alexander said Spears "was already feeling trapped," and they "figured that if we were married, they would have to let us see each other." Recounting their marriage, Alexander revealed that "even back then they didn't give her access to her money," and so he "paid for the wedding, photos and video." Although they "were on a high," he said "s– hit the fan" within hours of them sharing the news and "there were lawyers, publicity people and the management people. They were all in dark suits and sunglasses. They took Britney in one room and put me in another, like a police interrogation."

Alexander said he believes the wedding marked a seismic shift in the way Spears was treated, explaining that "if she could rebel and sneak off to get married, they didn't have enough control." He said, "that's when they started really getting tough on her. She was put into a gilded prison." Four years after their 55-hour marriage, Spears' conservatorship, which she has described in court testimony as abusive, was put in place.