Source claims Britney kept her distance from Jamie Lynn’s kids for a heartbreaking reason

SHE’S lived in the shadow of her world famous sister her whole life, but Jamie Lynn Spears could spill all about their Toxic relationship on I’m A Celebrity.

Jamie Lynn is stepping into the limelight on British telly, but the move risks inflaming her on-off relationship with Britney amid years of public spats.

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Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears have had many years of public spatsCredit: Getty – Contributor

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The once-close sisters are said to have been torn apart by jealousyCredit: Getty
The Baby One More Time singer has already accused her sister – 10 years her junior – of using her name to cash in and “betraying” her over her well-publicised conservatorship.

Jamie Lynn has painted Britney as both a “mother figure” and distant, troubled child who locked her in a room with a knife when she was 12.

Meanwhile Britney accused her sister of lying, calling her “scum” on a now deleted Instagram post.

Which version of Britney Jamie Lynn chooses to reveal in the jungle could make-or-break their fragile relationship for good.

A source told The Sun: “Everyone is going to ask Jamie Lynn about Britney and there is no hiding.

“I am sure she has prepared in her mind what she wants to say to appear supportive to her sister, but once people start really deep-diving, maybe we will get an insight into her perspective and why the relationship is so strained.”

The insider warned that Jamie Lynn, 32, who is filming a movie follow-up to her Zoey 101 show, could also damage her return to acting if she spills about her sister’s life.

They said: “This could be a career-ending decision for her, because Britney fans will be watching every word and waiting to pounce if she is negative.

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Jamie Lynn is heading into I’m A Celeb – after Britney claimed she’s using her to cash inCredit: ITV

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Jamie Spears, Bryan Spears, Jamie-Lynn Spears, Britney Spears and Lynne SpearsCredit: Getty – Contributor
“They will push for her to be cancelled if the words are deemed hateful or unsupportive.”

The once-close sisters are said to have been torn apart by jealousy.

Their problems emerge from warring parents, a drive for stardom, and resentment over their different upbringings.

They made up earlier this year, but their relationship is said to be under renewed strain after Jamie Lynn last month took in their dad following a failed stint in rehab for alcoholism.

Britney last year accused dad Jamie Spears, 71, of treating her “less than a f*****g dog” during her conservatorship, which gave him control of her finances and health issues.

As children Britney and Jamie Lynn were both strongly encouraged by parents Jamie and Lynn, 68, to pursue their dreams of fame.

Jamie Lynn watched from the age of seven as her sister became one of the biggest names on the planet – while her own career on Nickelodeon teen sitcom Zoey 101 collapsed when she fell pregnant aged 16.

She later said she went from “child star to slut” overnight and, in her 2022 memoir Things I Should Have Said, claimed her parents tried to convince her to get an abortion, telling her a baby would wreck her work.

Despite enjoying stellar fame, Britney is said to envy Jamie Lynn’s childhood – made easier by the millions brought in by her big sister.

‘Deeply problematic’

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There’s no doubt Britney’s fame helped Jamie Lynn get her starring role in Zoey 101Credit: Alamy

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Britney Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears in 2001Credit: Getty
Britney says her hard work meant her sibling never had to work for anything, while she grew up poor.

In her book Woman In Me, Britney said Jamie Lynn “ruled the roost” and was given preferential treatment at home.

She wrote: “It felt like I was a ghost child. I can remember walking into a room and feeling like no one even saw me.”

Those who know the sisters have been left saddened by the division in their relationship.

A Las Vegas business associate of Britney said: “Jamie Lynn and Britney’s relationship has been complicated and deeply problematic for years.

“It is fueled by many issues from sibling rivalry, jealousy, favouritism, lack of empathy and a sense of disconnection.

“It was tough for the younger one to always be asked about and compared to her older sister, one of the world’s biggest stars.

“She had some success, but it was nothing like Britney and that bred a sense of jealousy and rivalry on the career front.

Britney felt that her sister didn’t have to endure the same pushing and intensity from her parents

Source
“But away from the limelight, the emotions were reversed. Britney felt that her sister didn’t have to endure the same pushing and intensity from her parents.

“The language was softer and, with Britney’s success, the money to support and build her career was there too.

“Britney talked about how she felt that her dad would always push her harder and harder and critique her non-stop – while Jamie was treated gentler.

“It wasn’t that Britney wanted that for her sister, but more a sense of how uneven the dynamics felt.

“Perhaps it would be fair to say, from those around her, Jamie Lynn looked like the favourite of the family.

“I always wondered how Britney was affected by the sense you got that somehow Jamie Lynn was the beloved daughter who seemingly had that perfect connection to their parents.”

Bond cemented by rowing parents

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Britney and Jamie Lynne were once very close, bonded by their dad’s drinkingCredit: Getty

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Jamie Lynn was close to Britney’s ex Justin TimberlakeCredit: Getty
While the siblings have been at public loggerheads over the years, they were once incredibly close, their bond cemented by their parents’ rows and their dad’s heavy drinking.

Jamie Lynn described in her memoir how Britney was like a “mother figure”, saying she always wanted her big sister’s “approval and acceptance”.

She wrote: “I’d do just about anything to stay in her good graces.”

When their parents split in 2002, Jamie Lynn was just 11 and said it was Britney and her ex Justin Timberlake who gave her stability.

She said: “I adored Justin. He wasn’t just my sister’s boyfriend. His relationship with Britney was the only one in my life that gave me a sense of stability.”

After their parents broke up, Britney made the movie Crossroads and got her little sister a role – playing the younger version of the singer’s character, Lucy.

Britney also told of their closeness, saying when her sibling was “bullied” by actresses on the Zoey 101 set she turned up, heavily pregnant, and shouted at them.

Little contact for two decades

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But the sisters have barely seen each other over the last two decadesCredit: jamielynnspears/instagram
Tragically the sisters have barely seen each other over the last two decades and it’s believed Britney has had little contact with her nieces – Maddie, 15, and five-year-old Ivey.

Our source said: “Britney never expressed an interest in visiting Jamie Lynn independently, because she feared any trips would mean seeing her mum and dad.

“It’s not an unfair statement to say Britney became traumatised by the prospect of being in the same room as her mum and dad after being placed in the conservatorship.

“And of course with Jamie Lynn remaining close to them, that was a deep concern, that she would be ambushed by father Jamie and mum Lynne during any visit.

“It was an awful mental place for Britney to be in.

“There is a part of her heart which would have loved to have been a loving, caring aunt.

“Jamie Lynn never brought the girls over very much to see their aunt and if anything one could argue they were almost actively kept apart.

“Publicly it was presented as ‘Britney has all those issues and needs a conservatorship to stay healthy and at times had to be supervised to even see her own kids’.

“It is pretty heartbreaking.”

Banned from having kids

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Britney insinuated Jamie Lynn supported the conservatorship behind closed doorsCredit: AFP
The source said it was particularly sad since Britney had such a close relationship with her own aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, who died of ovarian cancer in 2007.

In her book Woman In Me, Britney wrote she was left “out of my mind with grief”.

Britney blamed Sandra’s death and the public custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two sons Sean, 18, and Jayden, 17, for her very public breakdown in which she shaved her head in 2007.

The following year the Oops!..I Did It Again hitmaker was checked into a mental facility and her dad was given control over her estate and financial affairs.

Britney, 41, regained control in 2021 after telling a court the conservatorship was so strict it banned her from having kids.

Legal papers revealed it even extended to the colour of her kitchen cabinets.

When Lynn and Jamie Lynn publicly celebrated the end of the court order, Britney called them out, writing on Instagram: “The people closest to you who never showed up for you.”

While she didn’t name her mum and sibling, she wrote: “How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE…did you put your hand out when I was drawing??? Again…NO.”

‘Cashing in’ on success

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Jamie Lynn claimed Britney locked her in a room with a knife when she was youngerCredit: Getty
She also accused Jamie Lynn of cashing in on her success with her memoir, in which the younger sibling claimed Britney locked her in a room with a knife.

Britney called her sister “scum” and said she made up “crazy lies for the Hollywood books”.

They continued to feud as Jamie Lynn promoted her book, with Britney calling her “f*****g hateful” and saying she wanted to slap both her sister and her mum.

The sisters appeared to make up earlier this year, with Britney visiting Jamie Lynn on the set of her movie Zoey 102.

The pair posted several Instagram posts dedicated to their love for one another, but last month Britney was said to have been left upset when their dad moved in with her sister.

Now their precarious relationship could be put under even more pressure when Jamie Lynn enters the jungle.

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The siblings together in 2017Credit: Getty