Britney Spears dismisses ‘breakdown’ claims in return to Instagram

The ‘Toxic’ singer left fans concerned after she deleted her Instagram account last week

Ellie Muir
Monday 30 January 2023 09:28 GMT
Comments
Framing Britney Spears trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Britney Spears has returned to Instagram a week after removing her page.

The “Toxic” singer’s disappearance from the platform allegedly prompted some fans to contact the police to encourage a wellness check.

On Thursday (26 January), the 41-year-old singer issued a statement on Twitter calling for calm.

“As everyone knows the police were called to my home based on some prank phone calls,” Spears wrote. “I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded.”

On Sunday (29 January), the singer posted a Twitter video clip showing her in the gym, confirming she was “alive” and “well”.

Today (30 January), the singer made her first post to Instagram following her absence, sharing an image of a frozen rose flower with a long caption, telling fans that she has “never felt better”.

“Since everyone thinks they know my story. THINK AGAIN !!!” she wrote.

“No I’m not having a breakdown … I am who I am and moving forward in my life. I have never felt better !!!”

Spears then told followers that she prefers to be referred to as “River Red”, the name that she recently added to her Instagram profile.

“Nope, I’m not this girl or that girl ….I am River Red,” she wrote. “And being able to volumise my voice in a world where I lost my rights … for 15 years … gives me an opportunity to succeed !!! [sic]”

She continued by appearing to reference her former conservatorship, which was established in 2008 after her father Jamie Spears petitioned the court to control over his daughter’s personal life and finances. It was lifted in 2021

“Still learning this no rules thing … I don’t think so limited … I feel younger and in awe … unfortunately I’m boring as hell and drink hot chocolate at night !!! I’ve waited nearly 15 years to drink alcohol only to realise I hate it,” Spears said.

“PS yes I took my Instagram down and now it’s back up because I can.”

Yesterday, the “Baby One More Time” singer explained her absence from the platform in a tweet.

The musician admitted she temporarily left the social media platform because she was getting mocked by people for the videos she had posted of her dancing.

She wrote: “I shut down my Instagram because there were too many people saying I looked like an idiot dancing and that I looked crazy.”

“Honestly I was doing my best but it disturbed me to see people freely talk about it on TV ... yep it hurt my feelings,” she explained.

Spears reiterated that she is “sensitive” and that she is still “shocked as hell” that the police arrived at her house after fans allegedly “got worried” after she removed the Instagram account.

“It really was uncalled for,” she continued. “l adore my fans but for those who did that aren’t real fans and I honestly felt like it was a way to make me look bad.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in