Britney Spears goes public with new beau to ring in 2017

Britney Spears has debuted her rumored new boyfriend Sam Asghari on social media to celebrate the New Year.

The pair initially met when filming Britney's Slumber Party video and sparked dating rumors when they were seen out together on a number of occasions.

And to mark the arrival of 2017, the couple appeared to make their relationship official in an image shared on Britney's Instagram page.

In the snap, handsome personal trainer Sam is seen with his arm around a leather jacket-clad Britney, who beams with delight as she cuddles up to her beau.

"Happy New Year," Britney captioned the picture, alongside celebratory emojis.

The image is believed to have been taken at Catch in Los Angeles, where the pair were seen being "super affectionate" with each other.

"They did not wait till midnight for a kiss. He also gave her his jacket to keep her warm and had his arm around her all evening," a source told the New York Post's gossip column Page Six.

Famous faces Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin were also all present at the celebrity hotspot to see in 2017.

The image of Britney and Sam together came after the pair appeared on the fitness fan's Instagram page last month (Dec16) as they cuddled up in bed.

In the short video, Britney and Sam used the app's reindeer filter, which gave their images animated reindeer ears and antlers and altered the sound of their voices.

"Merry Christmas," she told his followers. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight."

This is Britney's first serious relationship since she split from her last boyfriend, producer Charlie Ebersol, in June, 2015. She also dated David Lucado, and was engaged to agent Jason Trawick until their split in 2013.