Britney Spears breaks silence to apologise for 'pretending like I'm ok' over the last two years

She recently spoke in court about her conservatorship

Author: Georgie HollandPublished 25th Jun 2021

Britney Spears recently appeared in court to break her silence over her conservatorship, which sees her father Jamie Spears control her career and finances. Now, Britney has released a statement on her Instagram, explaining to her fans why she has been sharing mixed messages on social media.

Sharing an Albert Einstein quote about reading fairytales, the 39-year-old wrote: 'I just want to tell you guys a little secret 🤫 … 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 !!!! That was one of my mother’s best traits … no matter how s----y 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 !!!! I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years … I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture their Instagram in a fun light 💡🤷🏼‍♀️ !!!!' (sic).

The 'Circus' singer continued: '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 … 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 👑🧚‍♀️🦄 !!!!!' (sic)

Britney has become some-what known in the past few years for her fun and quirky Instagram posts, often showing the singer in colourful outfits carrying out various dance routines.

The statement marks Britney's first Instagram post since breaking her silence in court over her controversial conservatorship case. In her 20 minute speech which she gave over the phone, she admitted: “I want my life back", and: "This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life."

Fans and other celebrities around the globe showed their support to the #FreeBritney movement - which was documented in Sky's Framing Britney Spears earlier in February. Many celebs have now also spoken out in support of the 'Toxic' hit maker, since she addressed the court.

The conservatorship over Britney Spears means that her father, Jamie Spears, is in control of career and all of her finances. It has been in place since 2008, despite this kind of legal arrangement usually only acting as a temporary measure.

Britney has tried to end the arrangement in the past, but failed. Her recent statement was the first time she had publicly appeared in court about the conservatorship.

Scroll through all of the TV shows and movies Britney has appeared in:

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1999)

Brit took part in an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch after lead actress Melissa Joan Hart starred in the music video for her song, 'You Drive Me Crazy', which was itself the title track for Melissa's film Drive Me Crazy. In the episode, Sabrina thinks about moving to Paris to live with her dad, and Britney is summoned to give her a private concert.

Kenan & Kel (1999)

In 1999, Britney appeared in Nickelodeon's children's TV show Kenan & Kel as herself, meeting the pair during their trip to Hollywood. At one point, they gave her a makeover - and it's safe to say she wasn't happy with it!

The Simpsons (2000)

You're not really famous unless you've made an appearance in The Simpsons - and Britney got her role in 2000. Voicing a yellow version of herself, her character was in Springfield to present an awards ceremony with Kent Brockman, and accidentally killed the town's oldest resident after kissing him on the cheek. She then gives the award to the second-oldest - Mr Burns - who begs her not to give him the "kiss of death".

Longshot (2001)

Britney starred as a member of the cabin crew in a film called Longshot, back in 2001. The film was about two brothers played by Tony DeCamillis and Joey Sculthorpe. Younger brother Alex (Joey Sculthorpe) gets caught up in his older brother's activities.

Crossroads (2002)

Ok, so technically this isn't a cameo as Britney actually played the lead role in the 2002 film, but you can't leave out her turn in Crossroads! Brit played Lucy Wagner alongside Zoe Saldana and Kim Catrall in the coming-of-age movie, and also contributed single 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman' to the soundtrack.

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

Britney once again took to the big screen in Austin Powers, playing a robot version of herself. It turns out that Britney's appearance as herself in the third Austin Powers film was all down to Beyoncé.


She told the Calgary Sun: "She called me. She said she desperately wanted to be in the movie and wanted to wear a bra that shot bullets. We managed to accommodate her requests."

Pauly Shore Is Dead (20030

In 2003, Britney appeared in Pauly Shore Is Dead, a mockumentary comedy film, written and produced by American actor and comedian Pauly Shore. In 2023, the film celebrated its 20th anniversary, and Pauly shared a behind the scenes video on YouTube.

Will & Grace (2006)

Britney took part in one of Will & Grace's eighth season episodes, playing Amber-Louise - Jack's new co-host on 'JackTalk'.

How I Met Your Mother (2008)

She had two turns in CBS series, How I Met Your Mother. Britney starred as Abby in season three, the receptionist of Stella Zinman, Ted Mosby's tattoo laser removal physician who he gets a crush on. Abby in turn gets a crush on him, and is devastated to find out that he's actually interested in Stella.

How I Met Your Mother (2008)

Britney returned six episodes later as Abby - but this time, she enters into a relationship with Ted's best friend Barney Stinson, even getting engaged to try and make Ted jealous.

Glee (2010)

Britney's songs appeared in the TV show Glee more times than we can remember, but she actually made an appearance herself in the second episode of season two.

The Pauly D Project (2012)

In 2012, Britney starred in an episode of The Pauly D Project called Divas, Diamonds and D... The episode followed Pauly opening for Britney in Puerto Rico. The reality TV series aired for just one series of 12 episodes.

Jane The Virgin (2015)

Britney's appearance in Jane The Virgin was iconic. It wasn't just a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of situation either - pretty much the entire episode revolved around Britney's feud with Rogelio, and the pair putting aside their differences.

Now read:

Britney Spears: Everything you need to know about the star

Justin Timberlake shares support for Britney Spears as she breaks silence on conservatorship

How can I watch Framing Britney Spears in the UK?

How to listen to Cool FM:

Tune into Northern Ireland’s number 1 for music, Cool FM on 97.4FM, online, on our Rayo app, your DAB radio, or say ‘Play Cool FM’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists, from Pete Snodden in the morning to the NI Hit 40.