Britney Spears' Toxic: how are the lyrics to hit song connected to TV Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick?

It might have been 20 years since Britney Spears released her catchy hit Toxic, but it’s causing quite the stir on social media again as fans have just discovered that it may have been inspired by a very unlikely person.

It’s been claimed that the person who influenced the rather sexy hit pop song was a Channel 4 star - TV vet Noel Fitzpatrick who rose to prominence on The Supervet. It sounds a bit far fetched, but there’s actually a very good explanation behind this theory. Keep reading to find out all the details.

What are the lyrics to Toxic?

Firstly, it’s a good idea to refresh your memory of the famous song because as it’s been two decades since it was released you may not have heard it in a while. Just in case you need a reminder, here’s the full lyrics to the song Toxic.

If you’d prefer to listen to the song, you can do below:

Who is Noel Fitzpatrick?

Noel Fitzpatrick is an Irish veterinary surgeon who is the director and managing clinician at Fitzpatrick Referrals. His veterinary practice includes two hospitals specialising in orthopaedics and neurosurgery in Eashing, Surrey, and another specialising in oncology and soft tissue surgery in Guildford, Surrey.

In 2014, he was recognised by Guinness World Records for being the first veterinary surgeon in the world to successfully apply amputation prosthesis. He carried out the operation on a cat named Oscar in 2009, who had lost both hind feet in an accident.

In 2010, Noel was the star of BBC documentary television series The Bionic Vet where cameras followed the work of Fitzpatrick and his team at his hospitals. The series saw Fitzpatrick develop new methods and techniques to help pets with unique problems. Four years later, Fitzpatrick and his practice became the focus of the Channel 4 television series The Supervet, which ran until 2021.

Why do people think Toxic is about Noel Fitzpatrick?

Toxic was co-written by a songwriter called Cathy Dennis, 54, who once dated 55-year old Fitzpatrick. The pair broke up, however, in 2003 and she supposedly wrote the lyrics the same year.

It’s not known exactly where the information came from, but this is not the first time Fitzpatrick has been asked about his apparent links to the song. Back in 2020, he appeared on ITV talk show This Morning and was questioned over whether he was the muse for the hit by Holly Willoughby. 

During an interview the host asked: “Are you who that song is written about? Is it you? Please say yes”. Fitzpatrick replied in a coy way, not really answering the question, saying: "You may have to ask Kylie Minogue whether 'I Can't Get You Out Of My Head' is written about me”.

It seems the rumour has started circulating again in June 2023, and fans of both Spears and Fitzpatrick are amused. One person wrote: “Going for a lie down because my head can’t handle that Britney Spears - Toxic is about the supervet??”. Another said: “I’ve just found out the Britney song Toxic was written about ‘Supervet’ Noel Fitzpatrick & it’s absolutely blown my mind”.