Britney Spears has finally spoken out about Fred Durst's claims he had sex with her - insisting he made it all up.

The OOPS!.. I DID IT AGAIN singer, 21, was said to be enjoying a romance with the NOOKIE rocker last year (02) following her break-up with pop hunk Justin Timberlake.

After Britney continually denied any romantic involvement with the rocker, she was amazed to hear Durst on American shock jock Howard Stern's radio show telling the nation he'd slept with her, describing her breasts and accusing her of being badly groomed.

But in an exclusive interview with American tabloid the STAR, Britney insists nothing could be further from the truth.

She says, "Fred and I worked together for a couple of days. J and I were broken up and my girlfriends and Fred were really good friends, so we'd go out at night and we'd see each other.

"He started sending me letters and stuff, which is very sweet. I thought he was a cool guy - but that's as far as it went.

"Then I went on a show and said that we hadn't been together like that. Fred started saying, 'Oh, she's lying. She's trying to make me look stupid.' It was very weird.

"Then he went on Howard Stern's show - and my mom had to listen to this stuff."

Infuriated by Durst's claims, Britney says she called him, explaining, "I left a message telling him, 'We have to talk. I wish you'd stop saying things about me that aren't true.' He never called me back, of course."

She adds, "People say bad things about me that are completely untrue. But you know, it's so made me such a strong girl. You can't let it bother you."

26/06/2003 02:18