'SHE DESERVES MORE'
Britney Spears’ pal Brian Friedman ‘misses her sparkle’ after not seeing her alone in 20 years due to conservatorship
BRITNEY Spears' friend and choreographer Brian Friedman has revealed he hasn't been allowed to be alone with the star in almost 20 years - and that he "misses her sparkle".
The 43-year-old star opened up about the singer's controversial conservatorship on Lorraine today, where he pleaded for Britney to be allowed "basic luxuries of life".
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Brian has worked with Britney, 39, since the start of her career in 1999 - with the two becoming incredibly close over time.
She was placed under a conservatorship in 2008 after having a series of public meltdowns, with Brian admitting that it initially came into action "for good reasons" - but now changes "definitely" need to be made.
He told Lorraine Kelly: "In my opinion, if she’s able to perform on stage and do a show and make all this money, she should be rewarded the basic luxuries of life like driving a car, having a phone to call your friends, being able to be in a room alone with someone like me.
"I haven’t been in a room alone with her since the early 2000s. It's virtually impossible [to get in contact with her] and we’ve worked together since.
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"There’s always someone around and you don’t really get to have that intimate, personal friend time, like we used to. She deserves that. She deserves to make her decisions for her personal life."
Brian later added: "I want to see the sparkle, the sparkle she had when we were first working together.
"I have missed that sparkle and I haven’t seen that exact glimmer in a very long time."
A conservatorship is a form of legal guardianship that grants a chosen individual full authority over another's life and assets - typically holding the same rights and responsibilities as a parent would over a child.
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It is usually imposed on individuals who are incapable of making their own decisions, with Britney's main conservator her father Jamie Spears.
Britney has made several attempts to end the conservatorship or have her father removed as conservator of her estate over the years, but they have all been rejected - prompting the "Free Britney" movement.
Earlier this week, the star's court-appointed lawyer in the conservatorship case said that she will address the court regarding her case on June 23 - speaking publicly about it for the first time.
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Brian continued this morning: "She is going to be speaking at her next hearing, she wants to have her voice be heard. I think that’s the best thing for everyone.
"There was definitely a wall that was put up and I don’t believe it’s a wall she put up. It was just this barrier that was created because of the conservatorship."
Following his interview, Lorraine read out a statement from Britney's estate that said: "The court put the conservatorship in place because Britney’s life and health were at risk any time she wants to end it, she can ask her lawyer to file a petition, she’s always had this right.
"Britney’s finances were in a bad place and in Jamie’s stewardship it’s changed for the better."
- Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV, catch up on ITV Hub
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