Britney Spears blames the paparazzi for her infamous meltdown - insisting their constant pursuit for snaps led her into a downward spiral.

The star was hospitalised twice earlier this year and lost custody of her sons Sean Preston, three, and two-year-old Jayden James after a series of public meltdowns, including a headline-grabbing incident when she shaved off all her hair.

The pop superstar has since got her life back on track, winning three gongs at the MTV Vmas in September and enjoying huge success when her comeback single Womanizer made the biggest chart jump to number one in Billboard Hot 100 history.

Speaking in her new tell-all MTV documentary, Britney: For The Record, Spears analyses what led to her epic fall from grace, and decides the hordes of paparazzi that constantly follow her played a huge part in her breakdown.

She explains, "I used to be a cool chick. But I feel like the paparazzi has taken that away from me - like, the way I used to live my life. I used to be a cool chick but I'm not anymore."

And the star admits she didn't do herself any favours - because she surrounded herself with people who didn't have her best interests at heart.