Britney Spears reveals the $15m TV job she ‘absolutely hated’

She got paid a fortune, but Britney Spears reveals in her new book that she couldn’t have been more uncomfortable as a TV judge.

It sounds like Britney Spears was at a crossroads when it came to judging The X Factor.

The pop star, who appeared on one season of the US talent competition show, reveals in her memoir The Woman in Me that she “absolutely hated” being a judge.

In 2012, Spears joined Season 2 of US version of The X Factor, where she was a judge alongside Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid. While she was the highest-paid panellist, earning a reported $US15 million for her work on the show, she opted not to return for the third and final season because working there made her feel “very, very nervous.”

All smiles at a press conference for The X Factor … Picture: AFP

… less happy on the show itself.

“I think a lot of people are really professional on TV, like Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani,” she writes in her book. “When the camera’s on them, they thrive. And that’s great.”

According to Spears – who has “accepted” that she’s “not cut out” for some jobs – she began to lose her on-camera confidence after she was placed under a conservatorship in 2008.

“I used to be able to do that when I was younger, but again, I feel like I age backwards when I’m afraid,” she writes. “And so I got to where I was very, very nervous if I knew I had to be on air, and I didn’t like being nervous all day long.”

She continues, “I can tell people who try to push me in that direction no. I’ve been forced into things I didn’t want to do and been humiliated. It’s not my thing at this point.

Britney’s less-than-thrilled reactions on the show soon became internet memes.

While she previously revealed she was “glad” her acting career didn’t take off, she writes that she would be open to filming on-camera again – but only if it were a short shoot. After all, Spears is no stranger to being overworked as a Crossroads producer recently claimed her team tried to make her work an “18-hour” day on the set of the 2002 movie.

“If you’ve got me a cute cameo on a fun TV show where I’m in and out in a day that’s one thing, but to act sceptical for eight straight hours while judging on TV? Uh, no thank you,” she writes. “I absolutely hated it.”

We probably shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for Spears to come back to judging. But if she ever did change her mind, Cowell previously told E! News that the door is always open for her.

“There’s a side of Britney a lot of people don’t know,” he said. “She was super smart [and had] lovely ideas about how to launch someone else’s career, which is critical if you’re going to be a judge on one of these shows. So I had a fantastic relationship with her.”

He added, “If you’re watching, Britney, and we make a show, please come back and do it with me. It would be amazing. I adore her.”

This story originally appeared on Decider and is republished here with permission.