Britney Spears' VMA tears

Sep 11, 2007, 11:11 GMT

08/31/2007 - Britney Spears - Britney Spears Hosts Grand Opening of LAX at Luxor - LAX Nightclub at the Luxor Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas, NV, USA © Terry Thompson / PR Photos

Britney Spears wept backstage after her disastrous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The singer was seen crying uncontrollably after her comeback performance - where she lip-synched to her new single 'Gimme More' and danced lethargically and awkwardly in a sparkling bra and knickers - which opened the ceremony on Sunday night (09.09.07) failed to impress the star-studded audience.

A source said: "Britney was crying backstage. She was devastated. She was really nervous beforehand and immediately knew she had blown it."

Despite receiving strong support before she went on stage - former boyfriend Justin Timberlake reportedly sent her a good luck note - the mother-of-two's performance was seemingly doomed from the start.

Multiple sources report Britney, 25, had a huge row with her hairstylist on the night, resulting in the stylist quitting.

The 'Toxic' singer had flown the hairdresser from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to tend to her locks for a whopping $10,000.

After a disagreement about whether her hair should be blonde or brunette for the performance - during which Britney allegedly shouted "It's my money and I'll do what I want" - the furious stylist cut up all the hair extensions Britney was planning to wear for the show.

Her disappointing dance routine has been blamed on a wardrobe malfunction. Sources claim one of her stiletto heels broke during the performance, meaning she could not gyrate properly.

Another backstage source claims she just "froze" on the night, saying: "It's been a while since she's done this, and she was performing in front of all her peers on live TV. She just got out there and froze. People who were at rehearsal saw something else. It was good. It really was."

It has also been claimed that Britney - who went out partying in Las Vegas on Saturday night (08.09.07) with P. Diddy, Paris Hilton and 50 Cent - just didn't bother to rehearse properly.

One source said: "She went out all night and then came in for rehearsals tired and not prepared to put in the effort. It was obvious she didn't want to be there."

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