Britney Spears' publicist has dismissed rumors a body double was used in the video for new single Hold It Against Me because the pop star hadn't learned the complicated dance routines.

Spears' new track has proved a hit around the world, and sold a record amount of downloads for a female artist when it debuted on Billboard Hot 100 last month.

The singer teamed up with Jonas Akerlund, the man behind Lady Gaga's Telephone promo, to create a fitting video, but reports suggested the Swedish director was disappointed by Spears' lack of practice and brought in a dancer to take over the star's steps.

A rep for the Toxic hitmaker has quickly denounced the claims, insisting the singer worked hard for weeks before the shoot to perfect her moves.

The spokesperson says, "The accusations could not be further from the truth.  Britney worked extremely hard on this video and rehearsed for six weeks prior to shooting. Fans will immediately see how inaccurate these claims are once they see the video."

And Akerlund has backed up the denial - revealing he has never seen a star work harder than Spears.

He adds, "(Britney's) been great throughout the entire process. At the end of the shoot I got the warmest hug I ever got from an artist, and I look forward to hugging her again very soon! I've been around long enough to know when an artist gives it their all, and to me it doesn't get better than this."

"This video is gonna be f**king awsome.  It's all Britney."