After Ryan Seacrest revealed live on air that a "reliable source" had informed him that Britney Spears was expecting her third child, the singer was forced to deny that she's pregnant. Britney's spokesman, Adam Leber, insists that there is no truth to Seacrest's claims. Industry sources, however, are baffled by the denial as Ryan and Britney are thought to be close friends.

A source close to Ryan has been quoted as saying:

"Ryan and Britney are friends. He wouldn’t have said something like that unless he knew the truth."

Before making the announcement on air, Ryan had earlier posted a message on Twitter saying:

"I heard a rumor about Brit that I want to investigate before I give more deets!"

Ever since her well-documented breakdown last year, the mother of two has been plagued by pregnancy rumors. Britney, who has two children - Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2 - from her marriage to Kevin Federline, is now thought to be dating her backup dancer, Chase Benz. She is also currently in the middle of a world comeback tour to promote her latest album, Circus.

I guess the truth will come out eventually, but maybe Britney just wasn't ready for the world to know. After all, she is in the middle of a world tour and if pregnant, would likely follow in the footsteps of other performers by waiting to confirm until after the tour has ended.