Britney Spears has apologised to fans for not being honest about her feelings over her controversial conservatorship.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, the singer said she regretted “pretending she was ok for the last two years” but that pride and embarrassment prevented her from admitting the truth.

“I was embarrassed to share what happened to me”, she wrote in the post shared on Thursday evening.

It is the first statement the 39-year-old has made since her courtroom testimony on Wednesday in which she asked a judge to end an “abusive” conservatorship that controls her life and career.

In the post Spears wrote: “I just want to tell you guys a little secret… I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted… my life seems to look and be pretty amazing… I think that’s what we all strive for !!!!

A post shared by Britney Spears (@britneyspears)

“That was one of my mother’s best traits… no matter how s****y a day was when I was younger… for the sake of me and my siblings she always pretended like everything was ok.

“I’m bringing this to peoples attention because I don’t want people to think my life is perfect because IT’S DEFINITELY NOT AT ALL… and if you have read anything about me in the news this week… you obviously really know now it’s not !!!!”

Spears apologised to fans for putting on a brave face for two years, adding: “I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me… but honestly who doesn’t want to capture there Instagram in a fun light !!!!”

The chart-topping singer, who has not performed since 2018, also said pretending to be fine on social media has “actually helped”.

Meanwhile, Sam Asghari, Spears’s 27-year-old boyfriend, shared a video on Instagram showing the couple on what appeared to be a private plane.

During her court appearance, Spears said the conservatorship – which she has been under since 2008 after suffering a series of mental breakdowns – forced her to work, comparing it to sex trafficking.

Spears said other people have exploited her throughout her life and that it is her “wish and dream for all of this to end”.

She called on the judge to end the conservatorship without the need for further medical assessment and criticised her father, Jamie, who has overseen much of her life for the last 13 years.

Jamie Spears and his lawyers say that the star and her fortune, which court records put at more than $50m (about £36m), remain vulnerable to fraud and manipulation and that he saved her from financial ruin.

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As Spears spoke to the Los Angeles court remotely by phone, dozens of fans from the #FreeBritney movement gathered outside to show their support with banners and posters, listening to proceedings through a feed.

Her legal team must now formally submit a petition to the court requesting the termination of the conservatorship before any further steps can be taken.

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