Britney Spears’ damning allegations about her relationship with Justin Timberlake have caused a ‘smoking crater on his reputation and legacy,’ a  Hollywood crisis expert has claimed.

The pop superstar, 41, has been drip feeding bombshell snippets from her upcoming memoir The Woman in Me in which she accuses Justin, 42, of cheating on her with a celebrity during their three year romance, and claims she aborted their child as he ‘wasn’t ready’ to be a father.

The explosive claims have blown a hole in the narrative surrounding their split in 2002, which saw Britney widely vilified in the wake of reports accusing her of cheating on the NSYNC singer.

Now, reputation expert Eric Schiffer has suggested Britney has portrayed her ex as a ‘giant con’ who he claims benefitted from playing a ‘phony victim’ in the aftermath of their split.

‘Britney’s book lacerates Justin’s legacy, and his “good guy” image now appears like it was a giant con,’ he told DailyMail.com exclusively.

‘The public hates inauthenticity, and this bombshell report creates a smoking crater on his reputation and legacy.’

Reflecting on the lasting impact this could have on Justin’s career, the PR expert continued: ‘The backlash Justin faces has just started. You can expect to see a growing, seething anger from Britney fans – and Justin’s, who could sever their emotional connection with the singer.’

Justin is planning to stay silent, according to insiders, who told DailyMail.com that he is ‘aware’ that his past treatment of Britney Spears could ‘come back to haunt him’.

But Eric, who serves as the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, has urged the singer to respond once the book is released on October 24, as keeping schtum could cause further damage to his brand.

‘Justin must respond after the book is released or face danger to his brand and the momentum he’s hoping to build because his celebrity is bleeding out in gushes,’ he warned.

‘There are ways to navigate this, but he must be authentic and not veer from the truth because he’s playing with Britney Spears-powered nuclear weapons if he tries to deny it.’

Eric also claimed that Justin likely ‘faces revealing himself as a shamelessly hypocritical prima donna celebrity for playing a phony victim of being cheated on after doing it himself’.

Indeed, the SexyBack singer looks set to be skewered in the tell-all book, with fans already outraged over Britney’s revelation that she made the ‘agonizing’ decision to terminate her pregnancy, after conceiving in late 2000.

In an excerpt obtained by People, she wrote: ‘It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated.

‘He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young. I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby.’

The Summer Love singer and Britney were in a highly publicized relationship from 1999 to 2002 after finding themselves catapulted to global superstardom as teen icons.

The pair had originally met on Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where they shared their first kiss – long before they officially started dating.

Justin went on to find fame with boyband *NSYNC, while Britney dominated the music charts as a solo artist with hits including Baby One More Time and Oops!…I Did it Again.

When the pair split amid claims Britney had been unfaithful, his decision to use a lookalike of the singer in his 2002 Cry Me A River music video saw her vilified for their break-up.

Justin, who has previously showed his support for a woman’s right to choose, is said to be prepared for his past comments about Britney to be unearthed, and is conscious that his previous behavior could also resurface.

As for how Justin should approach moving forward with projects he has in the works, Eric advised that the singer should delay as much as he can to let allow the dust to settle.

He explained: ‘For projects that Justin can push a month or two, he should delay them so the dust settles.’

‘He will need to shift to a project that his fans will love. An *NSYNC reunion tour could save his star-power from going boom.’

Ultimately, Eric stressed that Justin’s best move was to be fully accountable for his past behavior and not try to shy away from the backlash he could face.

‘The best thing Justin can do is to own his truth and be accountable, highlight how he has grown, and focus on projects his fans will love,’ he concluded.

The Woman In Me and its accompanying audiobook are set to be released on October 24.