Britney Spears feels ''protected'' by her fiance Jason Trawick.

'The X Factor' USA judge - who was married twice before to her former back up dancer Kevin Federline and childhood friend Jason Alexander admits she has had an ''amazing'' year and says a lot of her happiness has come from relationship with her former TV agent.

She told People.com: ''It amazes me that no matter what situation I'm in. Jason has the ability to make me feel protected and loved.''

The 'Piece of Me' singer also opened up about her two sons with Kevin, Sean Preston, seven and Jayden James, six, and how quickly they are growing up.

She said: ''It's really amazing to see how quickly my boys are growing up. It seems like yesterday I was reading books to them at night. Now I sit and listen to them read me books.''

The 31-year-old popstar said her good friend Simon Cowell also had a lot to do with her success in 2012 by pushing her to get out of her comfort zone by becoming a judge on the reality TV series.

She said: ''It's no secret I'm a shy person. I feel doing this show over the past year has allowed me to come out of my shell a lot more. Everyone on the show has been amazing and made me feel really comfortable.''