Jessica Biel - Jessica Biel Opens Up About Justin Timberlake Split

The relationship came to an end in March last year (11) but the stars continued to spend time together and the romance was back on by June (11).

They became engaged over Christmas (11) and Biel has now revealed why they briefly split, insisting the time apart strengthened their relationship.

She tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "I needed to be alone for a while. I think that when you take the time to stand by yourself as an independent person, and you find out that you actually are capable of moving forward alone and being fine on your own, then it is a very empowering feeling to have.

"It gives you a lot of strength, a lot of confidence, too, because it means you know that... any decision you make is an educated one, not just an emotional one. So you make your own choice about whether to step back into a relationship or whether to go in a different direction."