Britney Spears fans were gobsmacked after an old rumor resurfaced indicating the singer's 2003 mega-hit single "Toxic" was allegedly about famed Irish veterinary surgeon Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick.
The smash hit tune which appeared on Spears' fourth studio album In the Zone became synonymous with the singer and was considered to be one of the most influential songs in pop music of the 2000s.
"Toxic" was written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant with additional writing from Henrik Jonback and Cathy Dennis.
Dennis was dating Fitzpatrick–who is famous for the TV show The Supervet–at the time.
\u201cBritney Spears' iconic 'Toxic' hit was actually about an Irish vet https://t.co/ZBAhSp8d9d\u201d— indy100 (@indy100) 1686952152
Pop B*tch claimed:
"The man who inspired the Britney Spears track 'Toxic' was someone that the song’s co-writer Cathy Dennis had been dating in the early 2000s, who broke up with her in 2003: Noel Fitzpatrick."
"'It’s unlikely you’d have known who he was at the time (unless you had a sick spaniel) but he’s better known to most people nowadays as Channel 4 ’s Supervet!"
In 2009, Fitzpatrick became the first veterinary surgeon in the world to successfully apply an amputation prosthesis to a cat named Oscar who lost both its hind legs in an accident.
He was recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2014 for being the first veterinary surgeon to conduct the surgical procedure.
\u201c@Volume_Knob Did you know that Britney\u2019s Toxic was writer about a mild mannered Irish vet\u201d— Jessica Gentile (@Jessica Gentile) 1596824407
Dennis and Fitzpatrick reportedly met when Dennis took in her Labrador Charlie for his surgery.
Twitter was shook after learning the song about an addiction to a toxic relationship traced back to a vet.
\u201cshut. up.\n\ncalling in sick tomorrow so I can process this\u201d— Sorcha N\u00ed Nia (@Sorcha N\u00ed Nia) 1686849462
\u201ci still can\u2019t get over toxic by britney spears is about the super vet\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— hol (@hol) 1612274910
\u201cToxic by Britney was written about the super vet???? The super vet???? The super vet from channel 4????\u201d— sasha (@sasha) 1630086421
\u201cImagine being the Super Vet knowing that Britney Spears sang Toxic about you\u201d— Dave \ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffc (@Dave \ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffc) 1591990625
\u201cEvery now and again I think about how Toxic by Britney Spears is about a random Irish vet and feel better about the potential impact I may still have on the world\u201d— Jenna Clarke-Molloy (@Jenna Clarke-Molloy) 1582284782
\u201cDon\u2019t talk to me I\u2019ve just found out toxic by Britney is about the super vet\u201d— libby (@libby) 1610326905
\u201cJust found out on TikTok that Toxic by Britney Spears is about the super vet on channel 4\ud83e\udd2f goodnight.\u201d— kerskine (@kerskine) 1610320213
\u201cWhy have I just found out the Britney Spears Toxic was written by a woman that slept with the super vet bloke and its actually about him???? WHAT am I meant to do wuth this information????\u201d— Amy \ud83e\udebc (@Amy \ud83e\udebc) 1610293433
The rumor "Toxic" was about the famed vet surfaced before.
In an episode of This Morning, Holly Willoughby asked Fitzpatrick if he might've thought the song was about him.
He responded:
"You may have to ask Kylie Minogue whether 'I Can't Get You Out Of My Head' is written about me."
"Toxic" was written with Janet Jackson in mind, but the techno-pop tune was initially offered to Kylie Minogue who turned it down before it eventually went to Spears.
The song receieved Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards and it marked Spears' first Grammy win in her career.
It was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2004. It was the singer's fifth best-selling digital single in the US.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X
AMC