US singer, Britney Spears urged a judge in an emotional hearing Wednesday to end an “abusive” guardianship that gave her father control of her affairs in 2008.
“I just want my life back. It’s been 13 years and it’s enough,” Spears said in the 20-minute address via videolink as diehard fans chanted their support outside the courtroom.
The 39-year-old star’s finances and personal life have been largely managed by Jamie Spears since her highly public breakdown more than a decade ago, leading some fans to launch a “FreeBritney” online campaign in recent years.
In a speech where Spears barely stopped to catch her breath, the star said that, under the legal arrangement, she has been prevented from having a contraceptive implant removed, despite wanting more children.
The mother of two said it had left her “traumatized” and “depressed.”
“I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry. It’s insane,” she said, adding that she cries every day.
“I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I want changes, I deserve changes,” Spears pleaded to Judge Brenda Penny.
The singer has rarely spoken directly about the guardianship but her lawyer Samuel Ingham said in April that Spears wanted to directly address the court, resulting in Wednesday’s hearing.
Spears has long had a difficult relationship with her father. Last year, she filed to remove him from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer said she was “afraid” of her father.
Spears reportedly said the guardianship system had “too much control… Too, too much!” and that she was prevented from making her own decisions on friendships, dating, spending and even the color of her kitchen cabinets.
The controversy surrounding Spears’ legal case exploded following the February release of the documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” which chronicled her initial mental health struggle and her father’s ensuing appointment as her guardian.
Spears said she was “embarrassed” by her portrayal in the documentary, in which fans say she is essentially being held prisoner and claim she has been sending coded pleas for help.
Jamie Spears’ lawyers say he has done an excellent job of managing his daughter’s finances. But a judge ruled in February that both Spears’ father and wealth manager Bessemer Trust would oversee the pop star’s finances, denying Jamie Spears’ bid to keep sole power to delegate investments.