BRITNEY SPEARS - BRITNEY AND KEVIN 'REACH DIVORCE SETTLEMENT'

BRITNEY AND KEVIN 'REACH DIVORCE SETTLEMENT'

Pop princess Britney Spears has reached a divorce settlement with husband Kevin Federline.

Over five hours of talks went on between the pair and their lawyers in Los Angeles yesterday before a settlement was reached.

"The parties signed a global settlement on all issues of their marriage and the custody of the children," a spokesman for Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told People magazine.

Britney, best known for smash hits such as Baby One More Time and Toxic, filed for divorce from Kevin in November. The pair married in September 2004 in a surprise wedding ceremony before moving into a luxury Malibu mansion together and having two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

However Britney's filing for divorce was soon followed by weeks of partying with celebrity buddy Paris Hilton and strange behaviour, including the popstar shaving her hair in a California salon.

The divorce settlement comes only ten days since the 25-year-old singer left a Malibu rehabilitation centre after a four-week stint.

Although a judge's approval of the settlement is needed before the divorce is finalised it is thought the agreement could speed up legal proceedings between the pair.