Britney Spears has spoken out against her conservatorship at a court hearing in Los Angeles, where she alleged that her dad drugged her and forced her to be on birth control against her will.
Speaking in open court for the first time in the case, the American singer, 37, said her father Jamie Spears controlled her “100,000%,” but wants her life back.
“I am traumatised,” she said, speaking remotely. “I just want my life back.”
During the hearing, fans outside held placards reading Free Britney and demanding the ruling be axed.
Jamie Spears was granted control over his daughter’s personal and business affairs in a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008. The order was originally granted after the star was put in hospital amid concerns over her mental health.
“I want to end this conservatorship without being evaluated,” Spears told the court decisively in an emotional 20-minute address on Wednesday, calling the arrangement “abusive”.
“I deserve to have a life, I’ve worked my whole life. I deserve to have a two to three-year break,” she said.
Spears said she wanted to marry her boyfriend and have a baby, but the conservatorship would not allow her to. She accused her conservator of stopping her from having a contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD) removed so she could get pregnant.
“I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby,” Spears said. “I have an I[U]D inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant. I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby, but this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have children, any more children.”
She also said she had been forced to take lithium – a common medicine for bipolar disorders to the point where she felt drunk and unable to converse.
“I felt drunk. I couldn’t even stick up for myself. I couldn’t even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything. I told them I was scared and they had six different nurses come to my home to monitor me while I was on this medication that I didn’t want to be on to begin with.”
“This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” she said.
In 2019, Jamie Spears stepped down temporarily as his daughter’s personal conservator because of health reasons but the pop star is requesting for this to be made permanent.
In another move, she is seeking to permanently install Jodi Montgomery, a care professional, into the role instead of reinstating her father.
Jamie Spears was troubled by the singer’s allegations in court, according to his lawyer.
“He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain,” the representative said in a statement read out in court. “Mr Spears loves his daughter, and he misses her very much.”