"Where would Britney be right now without the guardianship?"
Britney Spears' father Jamie has given his first interview in a decade and claimed his daughter might not be alive today if she hadn't been placed in guardianship for 13 years.
The guardianship ended in November 2021, with Britney Spears gaining control of her estimated $60 million estate and the freedom to make her own medical and personal decisions for the first time since 2008.
The way to get her life back was paved by the #FreeBritney movement that called for the singer's release from guardianship.
Jamie Spears has had very little to say in response to #FreeBritney, but now, he has addressed Britney's guardianship for the first time in a decade, speaking to the Mail On Sunday newspaper.
"Not everyone will agree with me. It was a difficult period. But I love my daughter with all my heart and soul. Where would Britney be right now without guardianship? And I don't know if she would be alive. I don't know," he asserted.
“For her protection, but also for the protection of the children, guardianship was a great tool. "Without that, I don't think he would have gotten the kids back," she added.
Jamie Spears currently has no contact with his eldest daughter and her children.
"I miss my two boys very much. Really. You know, we were very, very close. It was at that age that you could start having fun with them,” he said.
“But they were starting to get their own character. God lets things happen for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but it's been a tough three years without them. The family is broken. All we can do is keep praying," he continued.
Jamie Spears even claimed that his daughter was "single" when the guardianship began, although she was reportedly worth around $50 million at the time.
"He had no money at all. The guardianship created a resource with which he could recover financially. And, you know, we worked – and she worked – and she got back on her feet financially,” he explained.
Britney Spears' father also spoke about his daughter's legal battle to end her custody.
The singer told the court in July 2021 that she wanted to file a custodial abuse lawsuit against her father, saying he had no control over her schedule or what she could eat and was prohibited from marrying, having more children or to remove her endometrium.
“All I can say is that most people have no idea what the truth is. Her lawyer has no idea what the truth is. The media has not heard the truth. They have heard Britney's claims," he said.
“I don't mind accepting this stick because I know it's not true and because I don't want to start something else. For my daughter to end up going deeper into the pit than she was,” he continued.
Jamie Spears said he had no regrets about the guardianship, but declined to directly answer the question of whether he thinks it took too many years. “You can answer (that question) yourself. Just look at how things are now," he said.
