Britney Spears in April 2018 in Beverly Hills, Calif.; Sam Asghari in October 2025 in West Hollywood, Calif. Credit :David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty 

Sam Asghari is sharing his take on Britney Spears’ recent arrest.

The model and fitness trainer, 32, was asked about his ex-wife’s arrest during an interview with Fox News on Friday, March 6, and said that people make mistakes.

“When it comes to people making mistakes, I understand that,” Tehran-born Asghari said, adding that his attention has been primarily on the ongoing Iran war.

He added, “I think that everyone deserves privacy. And I hope the press has learned from the past, that they give her the privacy that she needs.”

The “Toxic” singer, 44, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol (DUI) in Ventura, Calif. on the evening of March 4. She was released back home early on the morning the following day.

According to a press release issued by California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Ryan Ayers on Thursday, Spears’ black BMW 430i “was reported to the CHP’s Ventura Communications Center for driving erratically at a high rate of speed” and pulled over.

After she was pulled over, Spears showed signs of “impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests” before she was arrested for what Ayers said appeared to be “driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol” and booked.

The CHP said the incident was still under investigation and that chemical test results are pending.

A representative for Spears told PEOPLE in a statement that the arrest was “an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.”

“Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life,” said the rep. “Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”

“Her boys are going to be spending time with her,” they added. “Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being.”

Spears and Asghari began dating in 2016 and tied the knot in June 2022 before they separated in July 2023. A judge with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County signed off on their divorce in May 2024.

“The divorce was amicable and the prenup was not challenged,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “Britney is continuing to flex her freedom and is moving on.”

Months after their split, Asghari told PEOPLE he considered his time with Spears “a blessing.”

“It was a blessing to be able to share life with someone for a long time. And people grow apart and people move on,” he said in March 2024. “I’ve always hated people leaving a certain relationship — and at some point they told each other they love each other and they sat at the same table and ate food [together] — so I never understood when people part ways [and] they talk badly about each other.

Added Asghari, “That’s something I’m never going to do because I had nothing but an amazing experience and a great life, and that’s always going to be part of my life, a chapter of my life.”

Shortly after Spears was released from her arrest, a source told PEOPLE she wants “nothing more than being around friends.”

“She lives a very lonely life and it’s not helping her emotionally. She craves connections,” the source said, adding that “people come in and out of her life” and “she really struggles with maintaining friendships.”