Britney Spears has claimed that the #FreeBritney movement saved her life, just four days after her conservatorship ended.
The singer said the movement communicated news of her situation to the public and “gave an awareness to all of them” in her first Instagram video statement since the court-ordered arrangement was terminated on November 12.
“The #FreeBritney movement — you guys rock,” Spears said. “Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long, and I wasn’t able to speak up or say anything… I honestly think you guys saved my life, in a way. 100 percent.”
Megan Radford, a Spears fan, started the movement in 2009 to raise awareness about the singer’s conservatorship, which saw her father, Jamie Spears, take control of her estimated $60 million estates.
The agreement was made in 2008 after a series of personal issues surfaced in the public eye, and Spears broke her long silence on the subject with two emotional court appearances over the summer.
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“I’ve been in the conservatorship for 13 years. That’s a really long time to be in a situation you don’t want to be in,” Spears said in her latest Instagram video, joking that she was sharing a “hint” of her thoughts before a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The singer had little control over her personal or financial life while under conservatorship, and she claimed in court that she was forced to take birth control and lithium medication, as well as perform against her will.
The singer said in her video that now that the conservatorship was over, the “little things” made a “huge difference.”
“So I’m just grateful honestly for each day and being able to have the keys to my car, and being able to be independent and feel like a woman,” Spears told fans in her video. “Owning an ATM card, seeing cash for the first time, being able to buy candles…”
The singer also expressed her hope that her conservatorship storey, which is still relatively uncommon, would “make an impact and make some changes in the corrupt system.”
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