Britney Spears has apologised to her fans for "pretending to be okay" after alleging she'd been a victim of shocking human rights violations while under the conservatorship helmed by her father Jamie Spears.
The pop star broke her silence on Instagram after telling the court she had been drugged against her will, forced to work as "a slave" and banned from removing her IUD preventing another pregnancy, among other bombshell accusations.
"I just want to tell you guys a little secret," Spears began her caption, alongside an image of a little girl walking through a garden with a teddy bear.
The photo included a quote that read: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
"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!!!" Spears continued.
The 39-year-old mother of two said she was "bringing this to people's attention" because she didn't want anyone to think her life was perfect anymore.
"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!!!!
"I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years… I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me."
Proponents of the #FreeBritney movement have long been concerned by the pop star's sometimes bizarre social media presence, claiming she appeared to be attempting to cover up signs of manipulation and serious mental health issues.
In November last year, Spears said she was the "happiest she'd ever been in her life", insisting she was "fine" despite rumours to the contrary.
Speaking in court this week, the 'Toxic' singer admitted any attempt she had made to convince her fans she was okay had been a lie.
"I'm traumatised. I am not happy, I can’t sleep. I'm so angry, it's insane. And I'm depressed," she said.
In her first post since the hearing, Spears said that pretending she was okay on social media had "actually helped".
"I decided to post this quote today because by golly if you’re going through hell… I feel like Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence, existence and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through, and hey it worked," she said.
"So I’ve decided to start reading more fairy tales."
The Grammy winner's candid court revelations sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, prompting a wave of support from fellow celebrities including her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, and TV host Meghan McCain.
McCain shared her concern for Spears' safety on Twitter and during an episode of The View, calling for the FBI to extradite her from her home immediately in case her conservators retaliated against her speaking out.
