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LOS ANGELES — With her decision to divorce Kevin Federline, Britney Spears appears ready for her comeback.

The 24-year-old pop star filed for divorce from Federline on Tuesday citing "irreconcilable differences," which probably came as no surprise to anyone. From the moment the two married, they were tabloid targets, their every affectionate gesture or teary-eyed fight detailed in gossip magazines.

The country was captivated - apparently with equal amounts of horror and delight - watching its pop princess pair up with a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking backup dancer from Fresno. The two even documented their domestic doings in a self-filmed reality TV show, "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic."

The nonstop drama of their relationship derailed Spears' once-stellar career.

"She went from being a pop icon to an emblem of white trash in a matter of two years," said veteran publicist Michael Levine.

Spears and Federline wed in the fall of 2004 - twice. The first time, apparently, to try to divert the media's attention from the second wedding a few weeks later, which according to the divorce papers was the real one. Federline explained then that their lawyers used the extra time to finalize a prenuptial agreement.

Federline, 28, an aspiring rapper who recently released his first album, had never been married, though he was still dating his pregnant girlfriend Shar Jackson when he met Spears. Jackson gave birth to Federline's second child just months before he married Spears.

"It wasn't the most auspicious of starts," said Bonnie Fuller, editorial director of American Media, which publishes the Star tabloid magazine.

But after years as a certified hit-maker, Spears was ready to take a break and start a family. She and Federline have a 1-year-old son, Sean Preston, and an infant son, Jayden James, who was born Sept. 12.

Spears' spotlight didn't diminish after she married Federline, but her star power did, said Ryan Schinman of Platinum Rye Entertainment, an entertainment consulting company. Magazines published pictures of a newly pudgy Spears and captured her driving with her infant son on her lap and another time almost dropping him. Nearly every move she made - especially those that involved her husband or son - was ridiculed on daytime and late-night talk shows.

"It was almost like she took a poison pill," Schinman said. "(Federline) was a weed that touched every aspect of her personal and professional life. The minute they met, she started her downfall as far as record sales, touring, TV shows and her image."

Schinman called the divorce filing "a great jumping-off point if she wants to get back to being relevant in entertainment."