Fears for Britney Spears over special new friendship: Insiders spill all about her secret 'get-together' with ex-bodyguard... their shock phone call during DUI arrest... and claims he's hiding a dark past

Flustered and frightened, Britney Spears picked up the phone while police questioned her on the side of the road during her arrest for DUI.

But instead of dialing the number for a family member or her longtime friend and manager, the pop star turned to a man perhaps the public is not yet familiar with. 

'Thomas?' Spears could be heard saying to the individual, per the dashcam video from March 4, obtained by the Daily Mail. Quietly speaking into her cell phone, she then mumbled to the person that the Los Angeles cops were accusing her of consuming alcohol, which she denied.

A source has told the Daily Mail exclusively that in that moment of desperation, the 44-year-old turned to Thomas Bunbury, her former bodyguard-turned-confidant.

We are told the two have maintained a close friendship, although he no longer works for her, and that Spears has leaned on him for support amid her most recent legal issues.

However, Bunbury's role in the Princess of Pop's life is controversial.

In March, TMZ reported that Spears sent the British bodyguard a fiery cease-and-desist letter after he allegedly 'hacked' her devices and her iCloud account without her consent. She was reportedly upset that she had been locked out of her accounts and demanded that Bunbury confirm he did not make copies of her files.

Now, a source has exclusively alleged to the Daily Mail that, despite what was reported at the time, Bunbury, 47, and Spears share a genuine connection.

The hacking allegations are 'categorically false and completely without factual or legal merit,' a source with knowledge of the situation told the Daily Mail.

'There was never any unauthorized access, hacking, or unlawful conduct on his part whatsoever. If there had been any credible evidence to substantiate those claims, formal legal action or criminal proceedings would have been pursued.'

The insider told us that no formal charges have been filed against Bunbury because 'the accusations were baseless, defamatory in nature, and unsupported by any verifiable facts.' 

However, a second source insisted to the Daily Mail that Spears's team had legitimate reasons for letting Bunbury and the rest of the security personnel go around early January.

That insider claimed there was evidence that Bunbury accessed Spears's accounts, though it is not clear if he engaged in any nefarious activity while doing so and Spears herself may have even granted him her passwords as she's not 'tech-savvy.'

The second source went on to claim that legal charges were never filed because it's a 'complicated' situation, given that Spears wants to maintain contact with Bunbury.

The Daily Mail has also exclusively learned that Bunbury's ex-wife, Nancy Bunbury, has accused him of domestic violence and drug abuse, according to court records.

In September 2019, Nancy filed a restraining order request, in which she alleged her then-husband threw her 'against our kitchen cabinet, put his hands around my neck and shook me when I asked him if he was going to contribute to our rent obligation.'

'Thomas is an addict and is supposed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but he rarely does so,' she further claimed in the filings, alleging that he abuses the pain medication oxycodone.

She also accused Bunbury in the documents of stealing from her and getting into a heated fight over his alleged infidelity. 'Thomas grabbed me and held me down by my wrists on the floor. The next day, my wrists were sore and bruised,' she claimed.  

Nancy concluded one of her filings with the disturbing allegation that Bunbury once 'threatened to pee on our apartment floor when he was angry.'

'Moreover, he has slapped me in the face, he has smashed my face into the floor of our apartment, and he has pushed me down to the ground on several occasions. I am constantly in fear that he will seriously injure me,' she added.

Bunbury emphatically denied all of Nancy's allegations to the court, instead claiming she had filed the restraining order request to 'gain leverage' in their divorce case.

He alleged in the documents that Nancy had been the one to become 'violent' with him at times and that his son, from his first marriage, would testify in his defense.

Ultimately, the court granted Nancy a continuance for the restraining order and the former couple's marriage was dissolved by December 2019.

Bunbury's tumultuous past begs the question: How did he bypass background checks to become the bodyguard to one of the biggest pop stars in the world? 

'The former security company is a third-party vendor. The team relies on them to do the background checks on all of their employees, and they did not do a thorough enough check,' the Daily Mail's second source claimed.

This is not the first time that an individual with a questionable past has infiltrated Spears's life. She was recently in an on-off relationship with her former maintenance worker, Paul Richard Soliz, who also had a criminal record.

Bunbury still remains in touch with Spears - as evidenced in the DUI dashcam video.

In fact, we are told that right after the singer was released from police custody in March, she and the bodyguard 'spent time together at her home simply talking in a calm and supportive environment.'

Then, a few weeks later in April, they spent time together again just before she went to rehab.

'They had a friendly get-together at his new place,' the first source told the Daily Mail. 'Those moments reflected the genuine and personal nature of their friendship beyond the speculation and headlines.'

It is unclear whether Bunbury and Spears's relationship is romantic, though it does not appear so, as we're told the close protection agent simply cares for the singer 'deeply' as both a 'person and a friend' and continues 'to support her journey.' 

The insider said, 'Britney values genuine human connection and has always enjoyed spending time with people she trusts and feels safe around.

'Despite everything she has endured publicly and privately, she remains someone with immense heart and humanity.'

The Daily Mail's second source said Spears's team is hesitant to intervene in the singer's friendships, given her history of being controlled in a conservatorship.

'Britney is a grown woman. She's allowed to have friends and hang out with whoever she wants,' the insider said before adding that those closest to the singer have 'encouraged her' to stop being friends with those with a 'shady past.'

'If she's being safe and this guy is not taking advantage of her, the team encourages Britney to have friendships and have a support system but they are always concerned [about] somebody who has a checkered past,' they added. 

Pointing out one of the pop star's perhaps most endearing traits - which can also get her into trouble, the source concluded: 'She always sees the good in people.'

Earlier this month, Spears avoided jail time by pleading guilty in her DUI case and was sentenced to 12 months' probation, a day in jail, which she has already served, and ordered to enroll in a three-month alcohol and drug education program instead.

The Daily Mail contacted Bunbury and Spears's representatives for comment.