SECRET HEARTBREAK
With her dad facing health troubles and her Vegas residency on hold, Britney Spears’ world is threatening to unravel
Britney Spears’ world threatens to unravel as her dad faces health problems and her Las Vegas residency is put on hold.
Britney Spears is proof that transformation is possible. After a 2008 mental breakdown threatened to derail her career and destroy her family, she could have become a sad footnote in pop culture history. Instead, she battled back, becoming a great mom to her two sons, grossing nearly $138 million during her fouryear Las Vegas residency (which wrapped in late 2017) and finding love with fitness trainer and model Sam Asghari, 25. “Britney,” says the source, “is in a much, much, much better place than she was 10 years ago.”
But Us can reveal that behind the scenes, the pop star is dealing with major uncertainty and private heartbreak. Britney’s dad, Jamie, 66 — who’s in charge of a legal conservatorship that’s been in place since after her 2008 breakdown — is in the midst of a life-threatening health crisis, and an attorney who’s long overseen the conservatorship with Jamie recently stepped down. Multiple insiders confirm that Domination,
Britney’s second Vegas residency, which she put on hold after her father almost died from a ruptured colon in late 2018, has been put on indefinite hold. (“Doing this breaks my heart,” Brit told fans in January. “However, it’s important to always put your family first… and that’s the decision I had to make.”) At 37, Britney would love to live life on her own terms, but despite all the strides she’s made, says an insider, “nothing has changed” with respect to the conservatorship.
SHE’S STUCK
The “Toxic” singer remains in a bizarre state of limbo. Worth an estimated $215 million, Britney “has a credit card with a limit so she doesn’t overspend,” explains the insider. The conservatorship imposes control over everything from how much money she can spend to where she can live — and with whom. “Britney can’t get married unless Jamie approves it,” explains the insider, “and Jamie is inclined not to, because it would only
[create complicated] legal issues.” Most heartbreaking of all, Britney would love to have another child, says the insider, “but she’d have to get her dad on board for that too.”
While she longs for the freedom befitting someone who’ll turn 40 in a few years, Britney does appreciate how her dad has “given her tremendous space... He doesn’t live with her or micromanage her daily routine.” That routine includes plenty of her favorite things: dance, exercise and time with sons Preston, 13, and Jayden, 12. While ex-husband Kevin Federline, 40, has primary custody, they’ve worked things out so Britney can shuttle them to school, music lessons and sports. “She tries to help them with their homework,” adds the insider, who admits that “hiring tutors has been [more] helpful.”
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Right now, Jamie’s health is Britney’s main concern. “The stress has been hard on her,” says the insider, adding that he was scheduled to undergo another surgery in mid-March. “It’s been a very difficult time.” But even as she faces new obstacles, says the insider, “she’s feeling confident enough to take control of her life again.”