Britney Spears is fighting to be free of what she's called the "abusive" conservatorship that she's lived under since 2008.
The Baby One More Time singer, 39, appeared in court on Wednesday for the second time in less than a month to ask a judge to have her father Jamie Spears removed from the order.
After years of silence, Britney finally had her say on the conservatorship, and made some chilling claims about the ordeal she's been through while other people have control over her life.
She has claimed that under the order she has been forced into using contraception, stopped from getting married and having more children, put on medication against her will and made to perform.
The conservatorship was put in place 13 years ago after Britney suffered several public breakdowns.
Jamie is currently the sole person in charge of his daughter' $60million (£43m) estate, but his lawyers have said he has not been in charge of her personal affairs since September 2019, when he stepped down from that role due to ill health.
Fans have long campaigned for Britney to be released from the order in a movement that has become known as #FreeBritney.
Britney never spoke publicly about it, and fans would scour through her Instagram for secret messages that they hoped would give tell them how she was feeling.
It wasn't until June 2021, 13 years after she was first placed under the conservatorship, that she was allowed to have her say.
She appeared in court to ask the judge to remove her dad Jamie from the conservatorship.
Britney made a string of shocking claims about her life under the order.
The Toxic singer, who is mum to Sean, 15, and Jayden ,14, said that her team had forced her into using contraception as she felt they didn't want her to have any more children.
She also alleged that she was banned from getting married.
Britney is currently in a relationship with personal trainer Sam Asghari, 27, who has publicly supported the Free Britney movement.
"I want to be able to get married and have a baby," she said.
"I have an IUD inside of myself so that I don't get pregnant, but [my team doesn't] want me to have any more children."
Britney also claimed in court that she had been put on lithium against her will.
The drug is well known to be used in treatment for bipolar disorder, which can often cause episodes of depression and mania and can lead to a feeling of uncontrolled irritability or excitement.
In court, Britney didn't disclose any possible medical condition for her to be on the drug, which can also be used to treat depression.
Describing her experiences with lithium, Britney said: "It's a strong drug. You can go mentally impaired if you stay on it longer than five months.
"I felt drunk, I couldn't even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything. They had me with six different nurses."
Britney also claimed she had been forced to perform on her Las Vegas tour in 2018, despite "needing a break".
She alleged that she was "handed paperwork when she got off stage in Vegas" and said "out of fear I did that tour".
Britney claimed that the closest thing to her conservatorship was sex trafficking.
She told the judge: "In California, the only similar thing to this is called sex trafficking, making anyone work against their will, taking all their possessions away, credit card, cash, phone, passport."
During that court appearance, Britney called for her dad Jamie to "be in jail" for the part he has played in the order.
She also confessed that the trauma she's suffered has led to her wanting to sue her own family for standing by him.
The popstar said: "My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management … they should be in jail.
"I've told the world I’m happy and OK. I lied. I am not happy, I can't sleep. I'm so angry, it's insane. And I'm depressed."
She continued: "Ma'am, I am not here to be anyone's slave. I can say no to a dance move."
"I just want my life back. It's enough," she later announced.
After that appearance, her dad Jamie's reps said in a statement: "He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain. Mr Spears loves his daughter very much."
The judge declined to remove Jamie from the order, and instructed Britney's lawyers to file for the conservatorship to be terminated.
On Wednesday Britney was back in court asking for a new attorney, who she wants to file a petition to free her from her father's control.
"I'm here to press charges. I'm angry and I will go there," Britney said, speaking to the court over a lawyer's phone.
"You're allowing my dad to ruin my life. I have to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," she said.
Her court-appointed lawyer Samuel Ingham recently agreed to step down, and this week the judge granted her the right to choose her own attorney.
Britney had raised questions about whether the lawyer had done enough to educate and support her.
She said she did not know that it was possible for her to petition to terminate the conservatorship.
Britney said she is also banned from seeing her friends who live minutes away from her in Los Angeles.
She told the court that under the conservatorship, her hair vitamins and coffee had been confiscated.
The singer also claimed that her boyfriend Sam cannot drive her in his car.
Britney said she did not wish to submit to a "stupid" medical assessment and would be "happy" for co-conservator Jodi Montgomery to remain.
She continued: "I just want you to understand how much of my time they have taken by forcing me to do these psyche tests and nothing comes of it."
Britney also said she has "extreme abandonment issues" because of her father.
She said she is "extremely scared of my dad", who is a recovering alcoholic, and worried he was always going to "show up drunk somewhere and embarrass me".
Jamie had filed a petition to investigate the claims his daughter raised, which he vehemently denied.
But Britney told the court she wants her father charged with conservatorship abuse.
"Ma'am, that's not abuse, that's just f***ing cruelty," she told Judge Brenda Penny through tears.
"Excuse my language but it's the truth."
