Photos show she chewed her fingernails until they bled before the announcement

May 16, 2012 14:25 GMT  ·  By
Britney Spears chewed her nails until they bled before X Factor announcement
   Britney Spears chewed her nails until they bled before X Factor announcement

Fans must already know that Britney Spears is a self-proclaimed incurable nail biter: every time she's nervous, she chews on her fingernails until they're raw. This is precisely what happened before the big announcement at the Fox upfronts the other day.

Britney is now a judge on the X Factor, the US version, for its second season. Joining her are Simon Cowell, who played a major part in bringing her on board, Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid.

Fans should also know that, for several years now, she's been under conservatorship, with her father (and, soon, her future husband Jason Trawick) making all the decisions for her, from business calls to decisions on clothing, medical care and child care.

This brings to the table the question of whether she will be able to handle the pressure that comes with a live show of such magnitude.

Judging by how she acted during the recent Fox event, where the announcement was made, chances are she will crack under pressure, voices online whisper.

On stage, she seemed nervous, distinctly so more than Demi, who is much younger than herself and, as such, has less experience in handling this kind of attention, as we also noted the other day.

Off stage, she was just as nervous, albeit a bit absent too, as the video here seems to suggest.

Before the frenzy started, she was chewing on her nails until they bled, photos indicate.

“No one was more nervous to see and hear reassembled pop princess Britney Spears at her big $15 million X Factor [€11.6 million] announcement yesterday than Britney herself, at least judging from her chewed up and bloody fingernails,” TMZ writes.

“Despite the unwavering support from her new boss Simon Cowell, Britney seems to be taking out her pre-show anxiety on her cuticles, a problem she's been dealing with for years,” the e-zine writes.

TMZ is not alone in pointing out that Britney's experience in the industry (she is a seasoned entertainer, after all) should make it easier for her to handle better the media scrutiny at such an important event.

As noted above, this is making many wonder how she'll do during the live shows, where producers won't be able to help her out in sticky situations with clever editing and cutting.

In fact, one of the hottest topics for discussion in the blogosphere right now is just that: how will Britney Spears do on X Factor? Is she able to carry it off or will she back down?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.