Britney marriage broke over kids, Federline says

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kevin Federline said his two year marriage to Britney Spears broke down because he focused on his children but he was "completely blindsided" when the pop star went behind his back and filed for divorce.

Federline, 30, the dancer and wannabe rapper who married Spears in 2004, told People magazine in a rare interview he fought hard for custody of their two young sons.

But he said he was now rooting for Spears and left open the possibility of a reconciliation some time in the future.

"That's the mother of my children. Just because I'm not in love with her doesn't mean that I don't love her. I'm definitely rooting for her. There's nothing more that I want than for her to be in the best health and doing what she loves to do," Federline told People.

"I'm one to never say never," he said, when asked about the chances of a reconciliation. "I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say I'm geared up to go that route, but who knows what the future holds for anybody."

Federline's interview in the Friday edition of People appeared as Spears marked her comeback after two years of personal woes, releasing a new album, announcing an international tour and celebrating her 27th birthday with a performance in New York.

Spears became a world-wide music phenomenon almost 10 years ago but her life slid out of control after she split with Federline in September 2006.

Federline said the marriage got more complicated after the birth of their first child, Sean Preston. He also has a young child with an ex-girlfriend.

"For me, I'd become more concerned with my children. Not that I ignored Britney, but my kids are always most important ... I mean, we were having complications. I didn't give her an ultimatum, but I was trying to work stuff out with her, and she didn't even talk to me or anything and went behind my back and filed. completely blindsided," he told People.

Federline rejected suggestions that he fought for custody of Sean Preston, 3 and Jayden James, 2 because of money. He was awarded sole custody earlier this year.

"My first question to was, 'Am I ever going to be able to see my children?' I told him that I would spend every last dime that I had to make sure that my children are okay. That's all that mattered. I didn't know how much power Britney had. That really scared me," he told the magazine.

Spears now has visiting rights three days a week.

"It's totally turning around...It doesn't have to be completely perfect, but the foundation is there," he said.