US pop queen Britney Spears has swept the board at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

Spears, who had previously been nominated 16 times, but never won, thanked "God first and foremost for just blessing me like this" as she won the best female video award for Piece Of Me.

British comedian Russell Brand, who presented the live show despite being a virtual unknown in the US, hailed the "launch of a very new Britney Spears era".

The 26-year-star thanked God, "my beautiful family, my two beautiful boys, for just inspiring me every day and my fans, this is for you".

She also paid tribute to her record label boss Barry Wise and her manager Larry Rudolf "for always believing in me" as she dedicated the top award to her "amazing fans out there for all of their support".

Spears' attempt to resurrect her career at last year's VMAs was widely seen as a disaster, with her poor performance and flabby form being heavily criticised.

Showbiz observers have said Spears is a "very different woman" to the "erratic and distracted" star who publicly shaved her head before going into rehab last year.

Spears has been under the supervision of her father Jamie for the last six months after the court put him in control of his daughter's personal and financial affairs.

During that time, the pop star has been relatively invisible to photographers, only occasionally snapped shopping or having dinner with her mother Lynne.

As she left Hollywood's Paramount Studios on the back of a golf buggy with Brand, he told Spears that she had "conquered the whole of the VMA awards, you stand above it like a colossus, you're certainly back, you look more beautiful than ever".

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