Britney wants custody of one-year-old Sean Preston and baby Jayden James, who was born on September 12.

However, lawyers for Kevin, 28, said he also wanted custody of both children.

Michael Sands, a spokesman for K-Fed’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said: "Kevin is prepared to go the distance in order to do what he feels is necessary to protect and safeguard the children and will not be intimidated or dissuaded from pursuit of those goals."

The pair married in the autumn of 2004, but almost immediately the media began speculating about the state of their relationship.

The couple contributed to the frenzied media coverage with their self-filmed reality TV show, Britney & Kevin: Chaotic.

Britney’s fake wedding - Nov 9 2006
Legal documents acquired by tabloid magazine Us Weekly appear to show that Britney Spears’ and Kevin Federline’s wedding didn’t take place until three weeks after everyone thought.

The official line was that the couple exchanged vows on September 18, 2020 at the home of wedding planner Alyson Fox, in front of Brit’s family and 25 other guests.

However, the singer’s divorce papers state that she didn’t say ’I do’ to K-Fed until October 6. It is thought that the extra time was for the star’s attorneys to hammer out a pre-nuptial agreement.

In the wake of the break-up, it looks like that was a wise move - despite Kevin being about to unleash his debut album on the world.

Although she has not released new material for some time, it is thought that Britney is still worth upwards of 30 million dollars.

It appears that in the world of celebrity marriages, nothing is what it seems.

Britney files for divorce - Nov 8 2006
Britney Spears is divorcing Kevin Federline after two years of marriage.

The 24-year-old pop princess, who gave birth to the couple’s second son just two months ago, cited irreconcilable differences in court documents revealing the split.

They were filed on Monday, the same day Britney made a surprise appearance on David Letterman’s Late Show, flaunting a slimmed-down post-baby figure and a sleek new bobbed haircut.

The Baby One More Time singer wants custody of both the couple’s children, Sean Preston, one, and two-month-old Jayden James, with K-Fed getting visitation rights.

The aspiring rapper has two other young children from a previous relationship, with Shar Jackson.

Britney waived her right to spousal support and asked that each party pay their own legal fees.

She also listed assets including "miscellaneous jewellery and other personal effects", her earnings from after the separation date, and other assets to be determined later, as separate property - and thereby off-limits to Kevin, 28.

The couple have repeatedly denied their marriage was on the rocks in the face of constant media speculation over the past year.

But in September the dancer and rapper, whose musical efforts have been widely panned, admitted it was hard work living in his superstar wife’s shadow.

"I would be lying if I didn’t say it was tough," he told chat show host Ellen Degeneres.

"I think the expectation is real high for me.

"You know, it’s like you see my wife, here she is this huge superstar, everybody loves her, all of her music is just hits after hits and it’s hard to compete."

Britney celebrates her post-baby body - Nov 1 2006
Britney Spears has been celebrating shedding her baby-weight like a true superstar by spending almost 10,000 dollars in just one hour on new clobber.