Britney Spears Spoke Out After Court Testimony: "I Apologize for Pretending Like I've Been OK"

Britney Spears made a public statement on Instagram Thursday, her first after testifying in court Wednesday about her "abusive" conservatorship.

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hollywood, california july 22 britney spears attends sony pictures once upon a time in hollywood los angeles premiere on july 22, 2019 in hollywood, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic
(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

In a devastating testimony to a Los Angeles court Wednesday, Britney Spears asked for her "abusive" conservatorship, held by father Jamie Spears for 13 years, to be ended. She told Judge Brenda Penny that her conservators would not allow her to get her IUD removed, preventing her from having another child, and had forced her to take the mood stabilizer lithium against her will. "I just want my life back," Spears said. "This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good."

Spears made her first public statement since the hearing on Instagram Thursday. "I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok," she wrote. "I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me."

Sharing a quote about fairytales, Spears wrote, "I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted … my life seems to look and be pretty amazing … I think that’s what we all strive for !!!!" She continued, "That was one of my mother’s best traits … no matter how shitty a day was when I was younger … for the sake of me and my siblings she always pretended like everything was ok."

"I’m bringing this to peoples attention because I don’t want people to think my life is perfect because IT’S DEFINITELY NOT AT ALL … and if you have read anything about me in the news this week … you obviously really know now it’s not !!!!"

"Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped … so I decided to post this quote today because by golly if you’re going through hell," Spears added. "I feel like Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence … existence … and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked … so I’ve decided to start reading more fairy tales."

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hollywood, california july 22 britney spears attends sony pictures once upon a time in hollywood los angeles premiere on july 22, 2019 in hollywood, california photo by axellebauer griffinfilmmagic

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

Britney Spears on "Abusive" Conservatorship

Emily Dixon
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.