Britney Spears speaks from 'abusive' guardianship
24 June, 2021
US pop star Britney Spears has spoken out against her conservatorship at a hearing in Los Angeles.
In a rare public testimony, the singer told a court her father managed her "100,000%" and she wanted the arrangement to get rid of.
"I am traumatised," she said, speaking remotely. "I just want my entire life back."
Jamie Spears was granted control over his daughter's personal and business affairs in a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008.
The order was formerly granted following the star was hospitalised amid concerns over her mental health.
There's been speculation for years about how precisely Ms Spears, 39, felt about the arrangement, with fans eagerly combing her social media output for clues.
"I want to end this conservatorship without having to be evaluated," she told the court within an emotional 20-minute address, calling the arrangement "abusive".
"I deserve to truly have a life, I've worked my expereince of living. I deserve to have a two to three-year break," she said.
Ms Spears said she really wants to marry her boyfriend and have a baby, but the conservatorship won't allow her to. The singer claimed she's a contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD) fitted but her conservator wouldn't normally let her own it removed so she can get pregnant.
"This conservatorship is doing me a lot more harm then good," she said.
Specifics of the conservatorship haven't been made public, but her father stepped down temporarily as his daughter's personal conservator in 2019 as a result of health reasons - a move the pop star has requested to be made permanent.
She is seeking to permanently install Jodi Montgomery, a care professional, in to the role rather than reinstating her father.
Mr Spears was troubled by the singer's allegations in court, according to his lawyer.
"He's sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain," the representative said in a statement read aloud in court. "Mr Spears loves his daughter, and he misses her quite definitely."
Mr Spears' legal team has previously insisted he did an excellent job of managing his daughter's finances.
Dozens of fans from the so-called #FreeBritney movement gathered beyond your court, holding signs reading "Free Britney now!" and "Escape Britney's life!"
"Everything she said was absolutely heartbreaking and it was actually even worse than I really thought it was," Megan Radford, among the movement's founders, told the BBC.
"But I'm so thankful that her truth is out there and it can't be denied anymore."
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