A Look Back At Britney Spears' Fling With Paparazzi Beau Adnan Ghalib

The dating history of Britney Spears has captivated tabloids for years. Her past relationship with celebrity photographer Adnan Ghalib is no different. The duo began dating in 2007 as Spears was in the middle of her split from ex-husband and father of her sons, Kevin Federline. Initially, he was contracted to photograph the pop star. However, after intervening in an incident between the two at a gas station, Spears and Ghalib grew closer, eventually becoming lovers.

In January 2008, Ghalib was alongside Spears when sheriff's deputies arrived at her home to escort her to a mental health facility to be evaluated. This would ultimately lead to her 13-year conservatorship, and the end of their fling soon followed. Spears broke things off with Ghalib in 2008 after she learned that he'd been allegedly informing his paparazzi friends where they would be and selling their photos for thousands of dollars. While this repotedly angered Spears, in her 2023 memoir, "The Woman In Me," she praised Ghalib for being a much more gentle paparazzo than his counterparts. Still, their relationship was riddled with other serious transgressions.

When Britney Spears began dating Adnan Ghalib, she was very charmed by him in the beginning. Despite others believing he had ulterior motives, Spears was not convinced. Speaking of Ghalib in her book, "The Woman In Me" (via Insider) Spears admitted: "I was completely infatuated with him. He'd been a paparazzo, and I understood that people thought he was up to no good, but all I could see at the time was that he was chivalrous and helped me out when the others got too aggressive." However, this image of Ghalib was tainted when she learned that he was married.

Spears confessed in the memoir that she was Ghalib's mistress during their time dating. However, she was only made aware of this once they'd already broken up. After this revelation came to light, Ghalib defended himself against accusations that he was cheating on his wife with Spears. During a November 2023 chat with The U.S. Sun, Ghalib explained, "My wife and I were not divorced, but we had been separated for three years. I didn't live with her for that time. I was 100 percent single." His wife, Azlynn Berry, eventually filed for divorce in January 2008, citing irreconcilable differences.

By 2009, Britney Spears was about a year into her strict conservatorship. In March of that same year, a judge granted Spears a restraining order against Adnan Ghalib. The order of protection was filed by her father, Jamie Spears, who oversaw her estate at the time. He accused Ghalib, Spears' former associate Sam Lufti, and ex-attorney Jon Eardley of attempting to interfere with the conservatorship. The orders were effective until 2012, though Ghalid's legal problems didn't stop there. In November 2009, he was sentenced to 45 days in jail for fleeing the scene of an accident that left another man with injuries.

In a 2018 interview with The Sun, Ghalib said that even with the restraining order, he and Spears were still on speaking terms. However, it's unclear if that is still the case. These days, Ghalib keeps a low profile, aside from his comments regarding Spears' memoir. Even with their rocky breakup, there doesn't appear to be any bad blood between the former lovers.