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There was much rejoicing when she was freed from the conservatorship that controlled almost every aspect of her life for 13 years.
She could finally do what she wanted without her father calling the shots. But 18 months after Britney Spears was declared a free agent, concern for her wellbeing is more acute than ever.
Even the fans who once campaigned so vehemently for her freedom are urging her to get help – and recent reports in several UK newspapers have increased the worry for the 41-year-old pop singer.
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Kevin Federline, Britney’s ex-husband, is quoted as saying she’s on drugs, specifically the highly addictive substance crystal meth, and says “it’s terrifying”.
Their two sons, Sean Preston (17) and Jayden James (16), are worried she’ll die of an overdose like British singer Amy Winehouse, the reports claim.
Britney has labelled the allegations “so low”, venting her feelings in a lengthy post alongside a photo of playground bullies taunting a child.
Britney also addresses her sons in the post, hinting at the ongoing estrangement between her and the boys. “This may not even be them saying such things, but it makes me sad because I tried so hard to make things nice for you and it was never good enough.”
She recalls their visits to her home when they’d lock themselves in their rooms and ignore her despite her best efforts.“Hopefully it is just the news being hateful and Kevin nor Preston said any of those things [but] either way I will be fine working out to [music app] Throb.”
Kevin has distanced himself from the crystal meth allegation. He says he welcomed two journalists into his home for 12 days as they were making a documentary about his family, but he spoke “in a respectful way with love and compassion for Britney and the Spears family”.
A spokesperson for one of the UK tabloids has defended the article. “Kevin made it clear he hoped someone would expose the situation, as he saw it, because that would be the way to get help for Britney.”
Britney and Kevin divorced after two years of marriage in 2007 in the midst of her mental health crisis, which saw her having a public breakdown and being hospitalised.
READ MORE | Why fans fear for Britney Spears one year after her conservatorship ended
A year later she was placed under the conservatorship of her father, Jamie, and in 2017 a judge granted Kevin 70% custody of their sons.
He’s since been awarded full legal and physical custody of the boys. Britney hasn’t seen her kids in over a year and they didn’t attend her wedding to personal trainer turned actor Sam Asghari (29) in June last year.
A part of her died when her relationship with the boys broke down, she said last year, and Jayden admitted it would “take a lot of time and effort” to repair the rift.
“I just want her to get better mentally,” he said.
Sean and Jayden have since expressed their desire to move with their father to Hawaii – Kevin’s wife, Victoria Prince, has been offered a job at a university there and the boys are keen to go to escape the spotlight of Los Angeles.
Despite Kevin’s fears that Britney would oppose the move, she recently gave it her blessing. “Britney loves her children, has always supported them and wants them to be happy,” a source says.
READ MORE | Inside Britney's battle with Kevin Federline and why her boys are embarrassed by her
But with the boys further away, it will bring more heartache for the star and less of a chance of reconciliation.
Britney’s life has hardly calmed down or become easier since the conservatorship ended, an insider says – instead the rollercoaster careens on and on.
Rumours of problems in her barely one-year marriage refuse to die down. A documentary released by celebrity news site TMZ last month claims Sam rarely stays at the couple’s R176-million LA mansion anymore, finding it increasingly difficult to share a home with Brit.
Her fragile mental health is the biggest concern – and fans who once chanted “Free Britney” are now urging her to get help.
People have expressed worry about her penchant for posting Instagram videos of herself dancing around at home in skimpy clothing or posting pics of herself in the nude.
Earlier this year concerned fans alerted police and asked them to check on her when she suddenly deleted her Instagram account.
READ MORE | Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are married! All the details from their wedding day
“Out of an abundance of caution, we responded to her home for a check on her well-being and determined she was safe and in no danger,” a spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said.
Britney, who later reinstated her social media accounts, blamed the incident on “some prank phone calls” to the cops and asked her followers to step back.
“This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media.”
In February there was an attempt at an intervention after several members of her inner circle feared she might harm herself.
“She’s often up all night, sleeps during the day and has a lot of anger,” a source told TMZ. “Britney is taking meds that hype her up and not taking the medications that stabilise her.”
READ MORE | Millie Bobby Brown says she’d love to play Britney Spears in a biopic – and the singer’s not happy about it!
The intervention is believed to have included Sam as well as her manager and medical professionals and would have seen Britney living in a rented home on her own for two months where she’d receive medical treatment and counselling.
However, Britney was having none of it.
In an angry social media post, she wrote, “It makes me sick to my stomach that it’s even legal for people to make up stories that I almost died.”
Yet, despite the ongoing drama there are pockets of light. She’s said to be working on repairing her relationship with her mom, Lynne Spears (68), and told her followers how her mother had recently visited her for the first time in three years.
“My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday… it's been such a long time . . . with family there's always things that need to be worked out . . . but time heals all wounds!”
Friends of the troubled star say what Britney needs more than anything else is time to settle down.
“She had been under lock and key for 13 years. Have there been ups and downs? Yes,” a source tells People. “But she is a survivor. ”
It remains unclear what her future holds, but as her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, says, “What’s next for Britney is up to one person – and this is the first time we can say this in a decade: it’s up to Britney.”
SOURCES: PEOPLE.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, NEWYORKER.COM, LATIMES.COM, GLAMOURMAGAZINE.CO.UK
