Entertainment
Britney Spears’ ups and downs in one-year of freedom after conservatorship hell-Rishma Dosani-Entertainment – Metro
From Sam Asghari marriage to Sir Elton John duet.
Britney Spears has been free from her conservatorship for one year (Picture: Getty)
Today marks a poignant day for Britney Spears as it has officially been one year since she was freed from her controversial conservatorship.
Prior to this, dad Jamie Spears had been in control of the Toxic singer’s wellbeing and financial matters for 13 years – leading passionate fans to campaign for her release through the #FreeBritney movement.
In a court hearing on Friday, November 12, 2021, Judge Brenda Penny made the historic ruling to end the court order after more than a decade, handing the mom-of-two her life back.
In the year since, a lot has changed for the pop icon but the spotlight has never been brighter.
To commemorate this, we’ve taken a look back at how Britney spent her first year of freedom.
Milestone birthday
Shortly after the court hearing confirmed her fate, Britney wasted no time and jetted off on a much-deserved holiday to Mexico.
‘Oh the precious joy today!!! Me and my fiancé are so excited to be going away,’ she penned beside sweet snaps of herself and Sam on their travels.
‘God thank you for being able to go out of the country!!!! I am blessed!!!!’
She then gave us all a glimpse into how they spent her 40th birthday on the trip, revealing a selection of balloons, fireworks, cakes and sweet treats.
‘I’m so blessed and grateful!!!! Tears of joy today,’ the birthday girl captioned the video. ‘Thank you for all the b-day wishes!!!! Psss I didn’t even drink the champagne no lie!!!!’
Marriage to Sam Asghari
Britney and long-term boyfriend Sam Asghari tied the knot in June (Picture: Getty)
In September of last year, when initial changes were announced regarding the conservatorship and her dad’s role in the order, Britney dropped a huge bombshell that she was engaged to Sam – who she was first linked to in 2016.
The actor has previously been praised for being a rock to the Baby One More Time star throughout her ordeal, and the eventual termination of the conservatorship.
In June of this year, they walked down the aisle at a ‘fairytale’ ceremony, surrounded by close friends including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton.
The bride arrived at the wedding in a horse-drawn carriage and looked sensational in a crisp white off-the-shoulder gown by Versace, while her beau was dapper in a black tuxedo.
‘Wow!!! Holy holy crap!!! WE DID IT!!! WE GOT MARRIED!!! Gggggeeeeezzzzz!!! It was the most spectacular day!!! I was so nervous all morning but then at 2:00 pm it really hit me,’ she wrote on Instagram at the time.
‘WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!!! I had a panic attack and then got it together … the crew who created our home into literally a dream castle were fantastic!!!
‘The ceremony was a dream and the party was even better!!! So many incredible people came to our wedding and I’m still in shock!!!
‘I think we all fell on the dance floor at least 2 times!!! I mean come on … we were all VOGUING!!! @SamAsghari I LOVE YOU!!!.’
Strained relationship with sons
Britney’s sons didn’t come to her wedding (Picture: WireImage)
Unfortunately, the day wasn’t without a hitch as her sons, Sean and Jayden, decided to sit the nuptials out after Britney decided against inviting any of her immediate family to her big day – over their roles in her conservatorship.
Her relationship with the teenagers, who she shares with ex-husband Kevin Federline, became more fractured when they joined their dad for a joint interview which aired in September, and defended their granddad against backlash he received for the court order.
Jayden shared his hopes that they could reconcile in the future, insisting: ‘When she gets better, I really want to see her again.’
Britney was unhappy with his comments, slamming the youngster on social media, vowing: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong and I know I’m not perfect, but the love I’ve given you and how much I adore you and your diplomatic ways, speaking like PawPaw, “self-entitled, this can be fixed, I will see her when she’s better”.
Jayden and Sean sat down with dad Kevin Federline for a tell-all chat (Picture: 60 Minutes)
‘Jayden, it was a miracle I could even have a normal conversation when I got out of that place.
‘I needed unconditional love and support. But guess what, the whole twist of it all, which would’ve made a little bit more sense… I was in the greatest state I’d ever been because I was actually able to speak up 100% and say no. It saddens me not one of you has valued me as a person.’
Britney later spoke of her heartache at their estrangement, saying that she has ‘no purpose’ without them.
‘Since they’ve been gone, I’ve honestly felt like a huge part of me has died,’ she explained. ‘Literally, I have no purpose anymore. They were my joy. They were my everything. I looked forward to seeing them. That was what I lived for.
‘And then all of a sudden, they were gone. And I was like, “Did my heart just stop beating?”.’
Miscarriage heartache
Britney suffered a devastating miscarriage in Easter (Picture: Getty)
Britney also experienced a tragedy when she sadly lost her baby, soon after revealing her pregnancy to the world.
In April, she shared that she was set to welcome her first child with Sam, adding to her family with a ‘miracle baby’.
However, just weeks later, the couple announced their loss in a devastating statement.
‘It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we have lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy,’ they said in May. ‘This is a devastating time for any parent.’
‘Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along however we were overly excited to share the good news.
‘Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family.’
In a further statement on his story, Sam thanked fans for their support during the tough time.
‘We have felt your support. We are taking things positively and moving forward with our future. It’s hard but we are not alone,’ he added. ‘Thank you for respecting our privacy. We will be expanding our family soon.’
Controversial Instagram posts
It’s clear to see that Britney is reveling in her freedom – as she should – and that is evident through her use of social media.
Gone are the days of cryptic posts and fans attempting to uncover possible hidden messages in the colors of her outfit. Now, Britney says and posts whatever she wants, from full-frontal naked pictures to lengthy rants aimed at her family.
In a recent impromptu photoshoot, she stripped completely nude with nothing but strategically placed heart emoji covering her modesty as she made the most of her time on a sunny beach.
However, this hasn’t gone down too well with some – and Jayden was vocal in his annoyance at some of her racier shots.
‘It’s almost as if she has to post something to get attention,’ he said in an interview on ITV news, via Buzzfeed. ‘This has gone on for years and years and years and this actually may never stop.’
Clapping back on yet another Instagram upload, Britney announced that she’s ‘sorry not sorry’, and would continue to share her life with fans.
She added: ‘I’m sorry you feel I do it for attention … I’m sorry for the way you feel … but guess what???? I’ve got news for you … I’m a child of God as well we all are in God’s eyes … so NOPE I’m not sorry … I’ve learned to say SO!!!”
Music return with Elton John
Britney and Sir Elton John (pictured in 2013) dropped a stunning collaboration this year (Picture: Getty)
As well as finding her voice on Instagram, Britney also went back into the studio and dropped a surprise duet with Sir Elton John on us – something that we’ve desperately been crying out for.
Unsurprisingly, Hold Me Closer soared up the charts and hit the top spot around the world, with more music hopefully on the way.
‘Hello Sir Elton John, we are like, number one in 40 countries,’ she said in a video, celebrating their success.
‘I’m in the tub right now and I’m about to go have the best day ever! And I hope you’re well,’ she finished, signing off with a wink.
Appearing on Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, Sir Elton added: ‘If anyone needs to have an arm put round her and to get back to what she does, it’s Britney.
‘What I wanted to do when she completed (the song) was to enlighten everybody that this is one of the great pop stars of the world, one of the biggest stars in the world.
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‘She needs to get back to that. She’s had a horrific time that no one really should go through.
‘So if this is the way to getting her back to making another record – a Britney Spears record – then that’s what I wanted (the song) to turn out to be.’
Hopefully, this next year will see a lot more music, light, happiness and freedom for Britney Spears.
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