Britney Spears to perform at VMAs after decade-long break

Britney Spears is set to perform at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards for the first time in almost 10 years.

The pop star will take the stage to give a debut performance of her new single Make Me... at the New York City ceremony on 28 August (16) - just two days after the release of her ninth studio album, Glory.

Britney announced the news on Twitter with a video featuring the famous white python she carried on her shoulders during her performance of I'm a Slave 4 U at the prizegiving in 2001.

The snake slithers through her dressing room as it makes its way through items representing her previous performances at the VMAs, including her Oops! I Did It Again red leather jumpsuit, the flesh-coloured, bejewelled bodysuit from her 2000 appearance, and the wedding dress she donned to sing Like a Virgin with Madonna and Christina Aguilera in 2003, when she famously locked lips with the Queen of Pop.

In the voiceover, Britney says, "The VMAs don't just give you a stage, they give you a story - some way of taking a fraction of a second and making it live forever. Before you know it, it's history. Before you know it, it's Britney, b**ch!"

The last time she appeared at the annual ceremony was in 2007, when she attempted to make a career comeback with a performance of her hit song Gimme More. However, critics savaged her return, poking fun at the fact she appeared shaky and stumbled across the stage.

Britney has been nominated for 28 VMAs throughout her career and she has won five. She was also handed the prestigious Video Vanguard Award in 2011.