Britney has sex - alone

She was once famous for being a self proclaimed virgin who said she would not have sex before marriage. But a few years later, and with a new album to release, it seems Britney Spears is now happy to talk about sex in the most graphic terms.

In a magazine interview the singer courts controversy by talking at length about masturbation. She said: "I think if you say you don't do it, you're lying.

"It's a positive thing to indulge in. I don't do it all the time. It's life. Guys can talk about it. Why can't girls? I think it's positive for girls not to depend on guys. Being alone, and I'm one to say, you really start to figure out what makes you happy.

"And then you're able to give more to other people. When you turn yourself on, that really is what turns the guy on."

Spears was speaking in America's People magazine, out later this week. Asked who she thought was the sexiest man alive, she said: "Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Definitely."