After conservatorship hearing, Britney Spears apologizes to fans for 'pretending' to be OK
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Britney Spears took to Instagram Thursday to address her fans directly just one day after she told a judge she wants an end to the conservatorship that has controlled her life and money for 13 years.
In a revealing Instagram post, the pop singer began by telling fans she had a "little secret." Spears' caption explained that while her social media posts may present her life as being "pretty amazing," that is not the case.
"I'm bringing this to peoples attention," Spears wrote, "because I don't want people to think my life is perfect because it's definitely not at all ... and if you have read anything about me in the news this week ... you obviously really know now it's not !!!!"
"I apologize for pretending like I've been ok the past two years," she continued. "I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me ... but honestly who doesn't want to capture (their) Instagram in a fun light!!!!"
Her caption was posted alongside a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that said, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
Spears ended her statement by writing: "Believe it or not pretending that I'm ok has actually helped ... so I decided to post this quote today because by golly if you're going through hell ... I feel like Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence ... existence ... and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked ... so I've decided to start reading more fairy tales."
RELATED: Britney Spears asks judge to free her from conservatorship
Spears on Wednesday gave a heartfelt description of her life under conservatorship. She broke her silence in the court hearing by saying, "I'm not happy. I can't sleep. I'm so angry it's insane. And I'm depressed."
Her powerful plea to a judge to end the conservatorship brought sympathy and outrage from fans, famous supporters and even casual observers who say she deserves independence.
Justin Timberlake tweeted, "No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body." Mariah Carey and Halsey were other entertainers who expressed support for Spears.
"We didn't know how she felt about this conservatorship, whether this was something she found beneficial to her or whether she wanted to end it. She made it crystal clear she wants to end it," said Christopher Melcher, a family law attorney not involved in the Spears case.
Through the conservatorship, her father James Spears has controlled her financial affairs for the past 13 years. In court, she said the conservators control every aspect of her life, including health care.
Spears said she is forced to keep using an intrauterine device for birth control and take other medications, is prevented her from getting married or having another child, and is not allowed let her have her own money. She condemned her father and the others who control it.
Legal experts say the singer's statements in court could be a double-edged sword.
"It may have been too raw, too emotional, too intense to convince the court that she no longer needs protection," Melcher said.
Spears is officially asking the judge to end the conservatorship without an evaluation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
