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Britney Spears accuses former manager of 'pretending to be me'

Sam Lutfi denied the accusations and instead claimed members of the pop star's team were behind the post making the allegations against him

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Wednesday 24 April 2019 08:23 BST
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Britney Spears breaks her silence after checking into a mental health facility

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Britney Spears appears to have accused former manager Sam Lutfi of "pretending to be me" and communicating with her team via a "fake email address", in an Instagram post addressed to her fans.

The pop star promised "all is well" in the video update on her personal life but said her family has been going through "a lot of stress and anxiety lately, so I just needed time to deal".

"But don't worry, I'll be back very soon," the 37-year-old added.

"I wanted to say hi, because things that are being said have just gotten out of control!!! Wow!!!" the caption beside her video read. "There’s rumours, death threats to my family and my team, and just so many things crazy things being said."

"I am trying to take a moment for myself, but everything that’s happening is just making it harder for me," she continued. "Don’t believe everything you read and hear. These fake emails everywhere were crafted by Sam Lutfi years ago... I did not write them. He was pretending to be me and communicating with my team with a fake email address. My situation is unique, but I promise I’m doing what’s best at this moment. You may not know this about me, but I am strong, and stand up for what I want!

"Your love and dedication is amazing, but what I need right now is a little bit of privacy to deal with all the hard things that life is throwing my way. If you could do that, I would be forever grateful."

Spears did not clarify what the subject of the alleged emails were.

Lutfi denied the accusations made in the Instagram post via his official Twitter account, and claimed they were in fact written by a member of Spears's team rather than the pop star herself.

"Britney's Instagram post has accused me of fabricating emails of hers that have been circulating recently," he said. "I can unequivocally state that I never wrote nor had access to her email. Her team's desperate attempt to deflect negative attention onto me (yet again) is a rather ineffective way to overshadow the FreeBritney movement.

"In addition to making certain people in her camp look bad, the emails in question show a woman capable of running her own life, a narrative they apparently want to hide."

The Independent has reached out to a representative of Spears for comment.

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