Lynne Spears, mother to pop star Britney Spears, is denying one of her daughter’s claims about their estranged relationship in her best-selling memoir, “The Woman in Me.”
In the book, which was released Oct. 24, the 41-year-old pop icon opened up about struggling during her 13-year court-ordered conservatorship. Britney Spears included examples of how her relationship with her family became more fractured over the years.
The “Toxic” singer revealed that her family discarded some of her cherished belongings when she was in a mental facility.
“It was during this period of time with my family that I learned that while I’d been in the mental health facility, they’d thrown away a lot of what I had stored at my mother’s house,” she said. “The Madame Alexander dolls I’d collected as a girl were all gone. So were three years’ worth of my writing. I had a binder full of poetry that had real meaning for me. All gone.”
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Britney Spears said she was deeply hurt by her family tossing away the personal items.
“When I saw the empty shelves, I felt an overwhelming sadness. I thought of the pages I’d written through tears. I never wanted to publish them or anything like that, but they were important to me,” she wrote.
The singer added, “And my family had thrown them in the trash just like they’d thrown me away.”
On Nov. 9, Lynne Spears responded to some of her daughter’s claims on Instagram. She said that she kept Britney Spears’ writings and dolls. She also included multiple photos of the figurines and a picture of a journal as evidence.
She addressed her daughter directly in the caption, writing, “@britneyspears I’m not sure who told you I got rid of your dolls and journals but I would never do that! That would be cruel because I know how much they mean to you.”
Lynne Spears said the items were meaningful to her, too, because she helped her daughter collect them.
“Of course I still have your things, and I am happy to send them to you if you’d like me to. Please let me know and know how much I love you!” she concluded.
TODAY.com reached out to Britney Spears for comment on her mother's Instagram post.
Fans in the comments blasted Lynne Spears for her response.
“Are you for real!!!??? You could have done this privately” one wrote.
Another said, “Clearly you read her book and that’s all you have to say?!”
Some hoped that the post would help heal the relationship between Lynne and Britney Spears.
“The negative comments are unnecessary,” one Instagram user said. “You people act like you know more than she knows about her own kid. I am sure she has tried to reach out and has been unsuccessful. Maybe this is her last resort. Kindness is free.”
Britney Spears made other unfavorable allegations about her family in the book, particularly her father, Jamie Spears. The businessman was appointed to be her co-conservator with lawyer Andrew Wallet in 2008.
“No matter how hard I dieted and exercised, my father was always telling me I was fat,” she said.
She also wrote that her father prevented her from going to the doctor when she wanted to have her IUD removed.
Britney Spears said she felt “relief” when her conservatorship was terminated in September 2021.
“The man who had scared me as a child and ruled over me as an adult, who had done more than anyone to undermine my self-confidence, was no longer in control of my life,” she explained.
In a statement to TODAY.com, Jamie Spears said per his attorney, Alex Weingarten, that he will not comment on his daughter’s memoir.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
