BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Hollywood landmark honours Spears

Spears, 21, who has just released her fourth solo album, was greeted by 2,000 cheering fans at the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard on Monday.

"This is something that I've dreamt about since I was a little girl. I can't believe I'm actually here with all of you amazing fans," she said.

She has sold more than 54 million albums around the world since 1999.

Spears was honoured for her singing success, rather than her acting in her much-derided debut film, Crossroads, in 2002.

She has had worldwide hits including Baby One More Time, Oops!... I Did It Again and I'm Not a Girl Not Yet a Woman.

One of the biggest-selling female stars in music history, she is currently struggling to redefine her image from that of innocent teen idol to raunchy sex icon.

She famously shared a kiss with Madonna at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in August and has sported a range of risqué outfits, including the one she wore for a performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday.

"A lot of people think those photos are over-explicit, but that's their opinion," Spears told the BBC Radio 4 show Woman's Hour.

"I think it's a positive thing to be able to express yourself in a positive light."

The singer also hit the headlines after breaking down in tears while talking about her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake on US television on Thursday.

Her new album, In the Zone, comes out in the US on Tuesday and was released in the UK on Monday.

But her latest single, Me Against The Music, was beaten to the UK number one spot by pop band Busted on Sunday.

The only other performer to get a Hollywood star at her age was Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert.