Jamie Lynn Spears breaks down as she details rift with Britney and defends new book

Britney Spears‘ younger sister Jamie Lynn broke down in tears as she admitted that she ‘doesn’t know’ why their once-loving relationship has become so strained – while plugging her new memoir in which she speaks out about her sibling’s ‘erratic, paranoid, and spiraling’ behavior. 

Speaking out for the first time since Britney’s controversial 13-year conservatorship was officially terminated in November, Jamie Lynn, 30, vehemently defended herself against accusations that she failed to assist her sibling in ending the guardianship, which was controlled largely by their father, Jamie. 

In the wake of furious criticism from Britney’s fans – and from the popstar herself – Jamie Lynn insisted that she never played a role in the conservatorship, and claimed that she actually tried to help her sister dissolve the arrangement on a number of occasions. 

‘When [the conservatorship] was put into place I was 17 years old [and] I was about to have a baby so I didn’t understand what was happening nor was I focused on that. I was focused on the fact I was a 17-year-old about to have a baby,’ she said during an appearance on Good Morning America.  

‘I [understood] just as little about it then as I do now.’ 

However, despite stating that she knew little about the ins and outs of the arrangement – which was put in place in 2008 after Britney had a mental breakdown, and which saw her father Jamie given complete control over her financial and personal health decisions – Jamie Lynn said that she made several attempts to try and help her sibling end the guardianship over the years. 

‘I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter so when she needed help I set up ways to do so,’ she said. 

‘[I] went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship and just end this all for our family. If it’s going to cause this much discord, why continue it? 

‘It wasn’t about [whether or not I agreed] with the conservatorship; everyone has a voice and it should be heard so if she wanted to talk to other people then I did, I set that up.’ 

Jamie Lynn also revealed that she agreed to speak with Britney’s ‘previous legal team’ to try and aid her sibling in her attempts to end the guardianship, however she admitted that the conversations ‘didn’t end well in her favor’. 

‘I even spoke to her… previous legal team and that did not end well in my favor. I did take the steps to help, but how many times can I take the steps without, you know… she has to walk through the door,’ she explained. 

According to Jamie Lynn, Britney also turned to her to ask for her help in ensuring that her two sons, Sean, 16, and Jayden, 15, were taken care of. 

‘There was a time where my sister asked me – of her trust and will – if I would be the person who assured that her boys got what they needed,’ the singer and actress shared. 

‘Whether she is in a conservatorship or not, that was a very normal thing, I thought.’ 

Jamie Lynn, who has two daughters, went on to speak out about the rift between herself and Britney, insisting that she ‘doesn’t know’ why they are ‘in this position right now’ when all she has ‘ever’ done is ‘love and support’ her sister. 

‘That love is still there 100 per cent,’ she said. ‘I love my sister. I’ve only ever loved and supported her and done what’s right by her and she knows that so I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.’    

While fighting to end her conservatorship, Britney publicly criticized her family – including Jamie Lynn – on a number of occasions, accusing her relatives of failing to support her during her battle to end the guardianship, which was officially terminated by a California judge on November 12. 

In July last year, Britney spoke out about her sister’s performance at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, during which Jamie Lynn performed a remix of her popstar sibling’s song Till the World Ends. 

‘I don’t like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed my songs to remixes!’ Britney – who was honored at the awards show and was seen in the audience clapping along to her sister’s performance – wrote in a July 17 Instagram post. ‘My so-called support system hurt me deeply!’ 

Two days later, Britney publicly blasted her sister once again in a since-deleted post, in which she described Jamie Lynn as a ‘mean a**’ for failing to stand up to their estranged father. 

Speaking about her sister’s criticism of her Radio Disney performance, Jamie Lynn defended herself once again, insisting that she was ‘confused’ by Britney’s reaction and claiming that she only ever wanted to ‘honor’ the popstar’s legacy. 

‘Honestly, it was somewhat confusing to me about that,’ she said, adding that she has ‘actually spoken to her’ sister about the controversy and believes that Britney was never ‘personally upset with her’. 

‘I was doing a tribute to honor my sister and all the amazing things that she’s done. I have cleared up with the fact that I don’t think she’s personally upset with me about that. Truthfully I don’t know why that bothers her.’

When asked about the way in which she describes her sister in her new memoir, Things I Should Have Said, which is due to be published on January 18, Jamie Lynn defended her decision to detail what she refers to as Britney’s ‘erratic, paranoid, and spiraling’ behavior, insisting that she ‘is allowed to say how she felt’. 

‘It was really important to me to first off honor my voice,’ she said. ‘[I felt like] I have to do it or how else can I expect my daughters to stand up for themselves?’ 

Although she said that it wouldn’t be ‘fair’ for her to try and describe Britney’s current ‘state of mind’, she added that she feels as though she has a right to detail how her relationship with her sibling – and her other relatives – impacted her own life over the years. 

‘I’m allowed to say how I felt because that matters. It matters that I was in pain,’ she said.

In her book, Jamie Lynn also speaks out about her estranged father Jamie, now 69, and his ‘struggles with alcohol’, writing that ‘his bouts of drinking always caused me torment and sorrow’. 

Speaking to GMA about her father’s relationship with alcohol, Jamie Lynn admitted that it ‘created a lot of anxiety’ for her, adding that Britney became like ‘another momma’ to her while they were growing up. 

‘For me [my father’s drinking] created a lot of anxiety,’ she recalled. ‘The hardest part was like, “Could I trust you? Are you drinking? Are you not?” It was something that no kid should have to question.’

She added: ‘I adored [Britney], she just felt like everything to me. I felt like she was another momma.’