Britney Spears and Adnan Ghalib secretly got MARRIED

Troubled Britney Spears and her British boyfriend Adnan Ghalib secretly got MARRIED, according to bombshell reports in the U.S.

The pop superstar "secretly wed" Birmingham paparazzo Adnan during their sneaky trip to Mexico on January 9, according to Star magazine. "While in Mexico, they went through a quickie marriage ceremony," a source insisted to Star.

"When Britney recently accused her mother of 'sleeping with my husband', it wasn't Kevin she was talking about - it was Adnan!"

If true, the wedding was just days after Britney was first rushed to hospital, following an alarming stand-off with police at her home. But even so, the magazine insists the marriage is not legal - because Adnan lied to the star and is actually still married to AzLynn Berry.

When she realized, Britney first DUMPED Adnan because she was so furious - but later gave him $250,000 to speed up his divorce so they could wed for real, according to Star. "He is promising her that they'd get married again once his divorce is final," the source said.

The alleged wedding took place when Britney, 26, and Adnan, 35, managed to sneak away from the media pack that follows their every move and drove to a $235-a-night room in Rosarito Beach Hotel in Mexico. "When Britney got out of hospital that first time Adnan talked her into going to Mexico to get married, saying that he was the only one who could protect her," insists the source.

They pulled off an amazingly detailed plot to foil the world - hiring decoy private jets and security teams in New York, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

According to the report, Adnan had assured Britney he was legally divorced - even though he is not. "When Britney and Adnan got back to L.A., her 'manager' Sam Lutfi told her that Adnan was still married," the source said. "She confronted him and threw him out.

"But he managed to worm his way back into her life, promising her that they'd get married again once his divorce is final."

She decided to give him $250,000 to speed up the divorce, according to Star. "She was on a $1,000-a-day spending limit imposed by lawyers but she told them she needed the money to buy a new Mercedes," the source says.

According to the magazine, Britney's lawyer Sorrel Trope had his suspicions over the wedding - and finally got proof of it on February 8. The next day, he quit, refusing to say why.

Now things have become more complicated as her father has battled for the legal right to have legal control over his daughter's affairs.

Insiders say it has left Britney torn between her "husband", Adnan, and her parents, Jamie and Lynne. "Britney's confused," the insider said. "She's afraid Adnan will bail on her, and she would do anything to keep him around."

Another source says Britney's friends are turning more against Adnan - and the marriage reports only add to it. They believe the British photographer is feeding off her confused mental state. "In all my years, I've never seen as big a dirtbag as this guy," the source insists.

"I can't believe how he has taken advantage of this woman when she was in such a fragile state.

"She is delusional, and he has fed off that."

By Lee Brown, Feb 13 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy