02 December 2023 , 11:00
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Britney Spears will no doubt be letting her down tonight as she celebrates her 42nd birthday, but there was a time when the singer wouldn't have been able to.
The Gimme More hitmaker was placed under a controversial conservatorship in 2008 and went through a highly-publicised legal battle to gain her freedom. The conservatorship gave her dad Jamie Spears control over every aspect of her life, including restrictions on her spending, her visitors and even the kind of phone she could have. In November 2021, Britney finally won her freedom.
The conservatorship isn't the only thing Britney has had to overcome in her life. The Princess of Pop recently opened up about an 'agonising' abortion she had when she dated Justin Timberlake and she's also in the middle of a divorce from Sam Asghari. Here, we've taken a look at some of Britney's biggest bombshells.
Breakdown fuelled by custody battle
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Britney Spears went through a custody battle with Kevin Federline (FilmMagic)Britney first met Kevin Federline in a club in 2004 and after just three months of dating, they tied the knot in September of that year. Weeks before their one-year anniversary, Britney gave birth to their first son, Sean Preston. In 2006, they welcomed their second son, Jayden James.
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Things sadly weren't meant to be for Kevin and Britney and she filed for divorce from him in November 2006, citing "irreconcilable differences". The former couple then became locked in a tumultuous legal battle.
Britney opened up about the experience in her memoir, The Woman In Me, as she accused her ex-husband of trying to "convince everyone that I was completely out of control". Kevin told people Britney she shouldn't have her kids anymore and she alleged he wouldn't let her see them "for weeks on end".
That was the case on 16 February 2007, when Britney famously shaved off her hair. She said the paparazzi had watched on as Kevin refused to let her in to see her children. Britney explained: "That night I gave them some material. I went into a hair salon, and I took the clippers, and I shaved off all my hair. Everyone thought it was hilarious." However, she said she had been "out of my mind with grief".
Britney also recalled her "desperation" when she was pictured hitting a car with an umbrella. She said she had once again been denied access to her children and "snapped".
'Excruciatingly painful' abortion
She said Justin Timberlake encouraged her to have an abortion (Getty Images)Britney dated Justin Timberlake in 1999 and they initially seemed to have a great connection. However, the couple parted ways in 2002 after their relationship was marred by cheating scandals.
During their romance, Britney fell pregnant with Justin's baby. She decided to have an abortion as the NSYNC singer thought they were "too young" to be parents. Writing in her memoir, Britney said the decision was "one of the most agonising things I have ever experienced in my life."
She claimed she made an agreement with Justin that no one would find out she was pregnant and so decided to terminate the pregnancy at home, without a doctor. Britney also decided not to tell her family about the pregnancy.
The singer described the at home procedure as "excruciating" and said the medication caused her severe physical pain. She also said she sat on the bathroom floor in tears, with Justin trying to comfort her by playing music. Britney said she "kept crying and sobbing" until it was all over and said it "took hours".
Britney said while she doesn't remember how it ended, she still remembers the pain of it. Opening up about her decision in the memoir, Britney wrote: "I'm sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby. I don't know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it."
Controversial conservatorship
Britney's 13-year conservatorship was controlled by her father (Instagram)Britney's conservatorship has been focused on a lot in the press, with details of the legal guardianship being the focus of many documentaries. During the conservatorship, Britney wasn't allowed to make decisions on her spending and she was given an allowance by her team.
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The singer's former head of wardrobe Tish Yates spoke out about the situation in the documentary Toxic: Britney Spears' Battle For Freedom. She said she had to wait for approval from Britney's former business manager Robin Greenhill before she could speak to the star about money.
"Britney would say, 'Hey, is there any way we can have sushi for dinner?' I would hear Robin say, 'You had sushi yesterday, it's too expensive, you don't need it again'," Tish said. She added: "If she pushed back a little bit, they pushed harder, and then the yelling got louder. Then Jamie would come up and say, 'No, you’re not having this'. Then it would escalate to not having a voice."
Britney's phone was also allegedly monitored during her conservatorship. It's claimed a security team monitored the singer's messages, FaceTime and iPhone activity through an iPad with the same iCloud account and tried to set "parental controls" on her phone.
Suffering from postpartum depression
The hitmaker has two sons with her ex-husband Kevin (Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock)Britney had two sons with her ex-husband Kevin, Sean and Jayden. She's been very open about how difficult both pregnancies were for her, especially amid all of the media drama surrounding her marriage.
In her memoir, Britney admitted that becoming a mum under such intense scrutiny was "much, much harder" than she had anticipated. She said she suffered from postpartum depression, which causes strong feelings of sadness, anxiety and tiredness after giving birth.
The 42-year-old bravely admitted: "I’ll admit it, I felt that I couldn't live if things didn't get better." Britney said she shared her experiences in the hope that any new mums experiencing the same things will get help early, as she said mental health issues weren't discussed when she gave birth.
Infidelity claims
Britney accused Justin of cheating on her (AFP via Getty Images)Britney Spears' relationship with Justin Timberlake hit the rocks amid cheating rumours, with people speculating Britney had cheated on Justin before their shocking split. It was said at the time that the break-up happened after Britney hooked up with Wade Robson.
In her memoir, Britney confessed to the allegations, but said it only happened after she found out Justin had been unfaithful. Explaining what happened with Wade, Britney said they had gone to a Spanish bar and danced before she made out with him.
She insisted she was loyal to Justin throughout their relationship, apart from that "one exception". The singer also claimed to have admitted the incident to Justin and said they were able to move on from it.
Speaking about Justin's actions, Britney mentioned "another celebrity" who he allegedly cheated on her with. Britney said in her book she did not wish to name the woman because they have a family and she doesn't want to embarrass them.
Divorce drama
Britney is in the middle of getting divorced from Sam Asghari (Getty Images for GLAAD)Britney met Sam Asghari on the set of her Slumber Party music video in 2016 and they quickly fell in love. The pair finally went public with their relationship in November of 2017 and Sam proposed to the Toxic hitmaker in 2021. The couple tied the knot in a lavish LA ceremony a year later.
However, their romance wasn't meant to be and Sam filed for divorce back in August citing "irreconcilable differences". Their split was marred with controversy as they're believed to have had a "nuclear argument", with Sam then moving out of the home he shared with Britney.
Things didn't look good for their split, with sources suggesting Sam had planned to contest the prenup and was threatening to share "extraordinarily embarrassing information" about the singer if she didn't agree. They even decided to cut all contact with each other.
However, a source has claimed the couple's divorce settlement is almost finalised, with Sam now residing in a Los Angeles high-rise which is being financed by Britney. The apartment is reportedly costing her $10,000 (£7,900).
Speaking to TMZ, the source said Britney will be signing a six figure check as part of the finalisation process of the divorce. Despite earlier reports, it's believed Sam won't be contesting the prenup.