Singer Britney Spears is "still hurting" from the break-up with her boyfriend, N'Sync singer Justin Timberlake, she has said.

The star told Tuesday's Sun newspaper that she was trying to see the failure of the relationship as "an experience".

"The worst thing is everyone wants to talk to me about it. Everywhere I go people are asking how I am," said the 20-year-old pop star.

She has not been involved in a new relationship since splitting from Timberlake in May, she said.

The couple wanted different things, said Spears

Spears said: "I am the type of person who can't go from a serious relationship and then just start dating someone else straight away.

"It's a strange feeling getting used to being single again but I suppose I'll have to cope.

"I'm just starting to get the knack of it because ever since I was 15 I've been in a serious relationship."

And she said that the split happened because both she and Timberlake wanted different things out of life.

In May, Timberlake said they had parted because Spears wanted to get married and he did not.

Deal

The singer, who is currently on her Dream Within a Dream tour of the US, will shortly be seen on screen in the new Austin Powers comedy Goldmember.

She has also signed a deal to appear in a movie about the world of American motor racing, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter.

The magazine reported that her company Britney Spears Productions had reached a deal with US racing circuit Nascar to develop and produce the film.

Spears would star as the daughter of a successful Nascar team owner who persuades a former driver to return to the sport, says the magazine

The signing reportedly came after eight months of negotiations, and shooting on the film is set to begin next year.

'Satisfying experience'

Both parties are said to have agreed the film will portray the sport and its participants realistically.

Producer Ann Carli, who also produced Spears' debut movie Crossroads, told the Hollywood Reporter: "Because we are making the film set in this world, where there are so many fans, I want them to have a satisfying experience.

"And to do that, we have to completely capture the authenticity of it. Our goal is to create a film that honestly portrays the spirit of Nascar.

"It is not just about winning - it's about family, perseverance and the belief that any dream is possible," said the producer.