All the Ways Ariana Madix Has Said Britney Spears Inspired Her BeforeDWTS'I'm a Slave 4 U' Performance

Ariana Madix (left) and Britney Spears.Photo:Paul Archuleta/Getty; JB Lacroix/WireImage

Paul Archuleta/Getty; JB Lacroix/WireImage

Ariana Madixis drawing inspiration fromBritney Spearsand how the iconic pop singer has remained resilient through the tough trials in her life.

Ahead of her “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance for Music Video Night onDancing with the StarsTuesday, the Bravolebrity, 38, has been open about how Spears and her new memoir,The Woman in Me,have motivated her to keep her head high during hard uncomfortable moments.

During theVanderpump Rulespanel atBravoCon 2023over the weekend, the cast of the Emmy-nominated reality show spoke about filming the upcoming season following the aftermath of“Scandoval"— which led Madix to make a Spears reference.

“Honestly, going into this season, I was thinking the whole time, if Ariana can do it, I can do it too,“James Kennedysaid of her strength before Madix replied, “That’s how I feel about Britney. If Britney Spears can do it, I can too.”

Ariana Madix.Ralph Bavaro/BRAVO via Getty

Ralph Bavaro/BRAVO via Getty

In May, Madix and herlongtime partner of nine years,Tom Sandoval, made headlines after news of his affair with her friend and fellow costarRachel “Raquel” Levissbroke. When it cametime to film season 11of the Bravo show, Sandoval returned to face the rest of the cast while Levissexited reality televisionfor good.

Meanwhile, fans know Spears, 41, has been through many highs and lows in her life — from her iconic career to her tumultuous love life, and everything in between.The Woman in Merecounts those experiencesin Spears’ lifefrom her perspective.

“Over the past 15 years or even at the start of my career, I sat back while people spoke about me and told my story for me,” Spearstold PEOPLE. “After getting out of myconservatorship, I was finally free to tell my story without consequences from the people in charge of my life.”

Britney Spears.Hahn Lionel/ABACA/Shutterstock

Hahn Lionel/ABACA/Shutterstock

The Something About Her co-founder also opened up about her admiration for the Grammy Award-winning artist in interviews.

“I love Britney so much,” she toldExtra. “And there’s an excerpt where she was talking about the head-shaving situation, and I was crying listening to her talk about it. It was so moving. And I can completely relate to everything she was saying about it, just the F-U of it all.”

She added, referencing her upcomingDWTSperformance: “I just think she’s so strong and so resilient. God, I just have to do her justice next week because that is my girl.”

Ariana Madix and Pasha Pashkov on ‘Dancing With The Stars’.ABC/Christopher Willard

ABC/Christopher Willard

Acknowledging the challenges she also had to overcome in the past year, Madix noted, “Maybe me and Britney can be friends.”

The reality star has been crushing the competition with her partnerPasha PashkovonDancing with the Stars.

On last week’s show, judgeCarrie Ann Inabatold the television personality that she was a front-runner in the competition.

“I don’t want her to feel at any point in the coming weeks that she was wrong in saying that,” she said of Inaba’s praise. “I want to make her feel like what she said was true.”

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Dancing with the Starsairs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.

source: people.com