Singer Britney Spears is to take "time off to enjoy life", saying she wants to let "other overexposed blondes" replace her on the covers of magazines.
The pop star wrote on her website her body needed a rest and she regretted being a "naive, young, blonde girl" who was pushed into things by advisors.
Spears recently split with her manager of nine years, Larry Rudolph, and married dancer Kevin Federline.
She said: "I've actually learned to say 'NO!' with this newly found freedom."
Spears' wedding in September followed her 55-hour marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander in January.
"
Times are changing and so am I
"
Britney Spears
"I'm sorry that my life seemed like it was all over the place the past two years," she wrote in a letter to fans. "It's probably because IT WAS!"
Spears said it was "great" to be married to Federline and that she could not wait to "start my family".
"Times are changing and so am I," she said.
Spears became a presenter and dancer on US television series The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 11, beginning her pop career two years later.
Released in December 1998, her debut single Baby One More Time topped charts worldwide and the album of the same name sold 10 million copies in the US by the end of 1999.
Pop inspiration
She had a further 16 hit singles in the UK and three multi-million selling international hit albums, inspiring a resurgence in US pop music among artists such as Christina Aguilera, Pink and Jessica Simpson.
Spears announced her plan to take a career break as she prepared to release her greatest hits album, due out in November.
"
Going and going and going is all I've ever known since I was 15 years old
"
Britney Spears
Describing herself as a child star, the 22-year-old wrote: "Going and going and going is all I've ever known since I was 15 years old.
"It's amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive, young, blonde girl and putting her on the cover of every magazine."
In June, Spears injured her knee during a music video shoot, forcing her to cancel the summer leg of her North American tour.
"I know now that my knee gave out on me this past summer so that I would have no choice but to stop," she said.
"My body was shutting down and needed rest. It's funny how the Man upstairs works."
She also wrote: "My prerogative right now is to just chill and let all the other overexposed blondes on the cover of US Weekly be your entertainment - good luck girls!"
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