In what could prove a courageous or crazy move, Britney Spears has announced she will return to the MTV Music Video Awards a year after her catastrophic attempt to re-launch her career at the event.

After spending the past few years in and out of hospitals and rehab clinics, the pop singer is to open the Hollywood ceremony on Sunday, but instead of performing she will deliver something "fun and unexpected", MTV said.

In a statement, Spears, 26, declined to reveal her plans for the awards ceremony but said she was looking forward to the weekend: "MTV has long played an important role in my career."

"How can I not be there to kick off their 25th VMAs? I'm excited to open the entire show, to say hi to my fans and to be nominated."

After a drawn-out public meltdown, Spears attempted a comeback at last year’s MTV awards with calamitous results. Performing the single Gimme More, the perennial chart-topper forgot the words to the song as well as the steps for her dance routine. Clearly lip-synching, at times she stopped singing altogether leaving the audience hearing her voice but watching her unmoving mouth.

The performance made headlines around the world and shortly afterwards her health deteriorated further. She lost custody of her two children to former husband Kevin Federline and was admitted to a hospital’s psychiatric ward amid a paparazzi frenzy.

This Sunday’s comeback appearance holds more promise. The singer’s father was awarded conservatorship by a court in February, giving him control of her estate and her life, and Spears has since shown marked improvement.

She has won visiting rights to her sons, made a solid TV appearance on comedy How I Met Your Mother, and paparazzi have been denied any scandalous shots.

Sunday’s awards could also show she still has artistic chops. The singer stands to scoop gongs for Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year for the paparazzi-mocking track Piece of Me.

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