Washington (ANI): Britney Spears has accused the paparazzi for her infamous meltdown. The 'Toxic' hitmaker insisted that the snappers' constant pursuit for snaps led her into a downward spiral.

Earlier this year, the stunner was hospitalized twice and she also lost custody of her sons Sean Preston, three, and two-year-old Jayden James after a series of public meltdowns, including a headline-grabbing incident when she shaved off all her hair, reports Contactmusic.

Since then, the pop superstar has got her life back on track - and three gongs at the MTV VMAS in September are a proof of it. Speaking in her new tell-all MTV documentary, Britney: For The Record, Spears said: "I used to be a cool chick. But I feel like the paparazzi has taken that away from me - like, the way I used to live my life. I used to be a cool chick but I'm not anymore."

The singing sensation admitted that she didn't do herself any favours - because she surrounded herself with people who didn't have her best interests at heart. She added: "I had let people into my life that were just bad people. You're so busy you don't see what's going on. You don't have time to stop and think. ...It's important to have good people around you."