Britney Spears and Jason Trawick: Anatomy of a Split

Pop princess and her former agent have called off their year-long engagment—did you see this coming?

By Natalie Finn Jan 12, 2013 5:09 AMTags
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We were truly happy for Britney Spears when she settled down with Jason Trawick, figuring it was about time the pop princess found herself in a knight in shining armor.

Alas, the singer and her former agent have since called off their engagement, saying that they still care deeply for one another and remain friends. 

But why don't they want to be more-than-friends anymore?! Let's examine how they went from A to exes:

Jan. 31, 2010: After going from agent-client to boyfriend-girlfriend, Spears and Trawick make their red-carpet debut at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

August 2010: Trawick continues to prove himself a stand-up guy—because not a peep of drama is heard from these two. Next thing we know, they're having fun in the sun in Hawaii.

Dec. 2, 2010: Spears celebrates "the best birthday" of her life (her 29th!) in Mexico.

January 2011: After the couple opted not to mix business with pleasure for a while, Trawick is back to work on Team Spears at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.

April 2011: Engagement-ring watch begins.

May 2011: "I've thought about both, so if the timing was right..." Spears says in Harper's Bazaar when asked if she's up for another marriage and more kids...Also this month, Trawick leaves WMEE (and Team Britney) for the more digital-artist-centric Famos LLC.

September 2011: Engagment story No. 2. Again, negatory. Spears does don a diamond ring, however, for her "Criminal" video, costarring Trawick (because now he does videos).

Dec. 15, 2011: Engagement story No. 3 is...true! Trawick gives Brit the "one gift" she'd been waiting for—the popping of the question, Neil Lane-designed ring in hand. (Ex-husband Kevin Federline and father of her two kids says he's "really happy" for her.)

April 25, 2012: And they say romance is dead. A judge approves Trawick's petition to become coconservator of his future wife's personal affairs (not her estate, which remains the domain of dad and a lawyer), a sign that Spears is working her way back to becoming legally responsible for herself.

July 2012: Spears steals away to Maui for a family vacay with Trawick and her kids.

August 2012: She doesn't wear her ring to a conservatorship hearing, but her lawyers laugh off the idea that that means something. "Everything is absolutely fine between them. The wedding is not off," a source assures E! News when asked what's holding up the planning process. "They are as blissfully happy as ever but they want to get The X Factor out the way before they even start planning a wedding."

October 2012: Spears plunks down $8.5 million for a palatial spread in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

October 2012: As Sam Lutfi's lawsuit against Britney and her parents goes to trial and dredges up all sorts of demons and low points from the singer's past, she says in that month's issue of Lucky that Trawick is "sweet" and doesn't mind when she feels like sitting around in sweats.

December 2012: Word on the street is that Simon Cowell isn't interested in having Britney back for another season of The X Factor. Trawick heads to Spears' native Louisiana with her before Christmas to attend her grandfather's funeral.

Jan. 4, 2013: Spears is out again sans ring—obviously not for the first time, but...early the following week, a conservatorship hearing pops up on the usually well-mapped-out-in-advance schedule.

Jan. 10, 2013: Spears leaves William Morris Endeavor for Creative Artists Agency.

Jan. 11, 2013: It's a big day. Spears officially confirms that she won't be returning to The X Factor  as she expresses her intention to get back into the studio to cut her eighth album. We also hear she's interested in having her own show in Las Vegas. A few hours later, a judge signs off on Trawick's petition to remove himself as coconservator and they reveal that they have broken up. "I'll always adore him and we will remain great friends," Spears says.

A source tells E! News that they never took steps to plan a wedding, which seemed strange to those close to her, considering Britney had been "pushing to move the relationship forward" and "really wanted to get engaged and have a wedding."

(Originally published Jan. 11, 2013, at 8:23 p.m. PT)