Paris Hiltondiscussed her admiration for friendBritney Spearsresilience amid adversity in a profile forTime’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021 issue.
“When most people think of Britney Spears, they think of Britney the superstar. She’s iconic. A legend. One of the most influential artists in pop-music history,” Hilton, 40, said. “When I think of Britney Spears, I see the sweetest soul. A mother. A friend. A fighter. A young woman who grew up in the tabloid culture of the 2000s, when the paparazzi machine was accepted, unforgiving and cruel.”
Hilton then touched on the singer’s conservatorship — which Britney’s fatherJamie Spears recently filed to end— and said, “Yes, we’ve watched Britney break records and deliver to the world hit after hit. But behind the scenes, she survived more than a decade of trauma and abuse from her conservatorship.” (Britney’s father and conservatorJodi Montgomeryhave both separately denied abuse claims and insisted they have her best interests in mind when making all decisions on the singer’s behalf.)
“Our hearts broke when Britney spoke about her pain,” she said ofthe pop star’s explosive court hearingin June, where Britney expressed her desire to end the conservatorship publicly for the first time.
Paris Hilton (L); Britney Spears.Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Hilton continued, “Despite the darkness that has surrounded her life, Britney embodies joy and shares the light of her beautiful heart, forever the superstar.”
Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Last week PEOPLE confirmed Britney’s father, 69, filed to end his daughter’s conservatorship after 13 years.
After stepping down as theconservatorship of her person in late 2019, Jamie has remained in charge of his daughter’s finances as a conservator of her estate.
Britney “is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required,” the filing stated.
Britney Spears, Jamie Spears.getty; Alex Berliner/Shutterstock
The petition, did, however, defend the initial establishment of a conservatorship.
“The conservatorship has helped Ms. Spears get through a major life crisis, rehabilitate and advance her career, and put her finances and her affairs in order,” the petition said of the decision. “As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter.”
“And maybe I’m wrong, and that’s why I didn’t want to say any of this to anybody to the public,” added Britney. “People would make fun of me or laugh at me and say, ‘She’s lying, she’s got everything, she’s Britney Spears.’ "
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“She meant when she saw it, she couldn’t even believe it,” the heiress said, referring to her own allegedabuse she endured at boarding schoolas a teenager. “What she said was, when people hear that, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s Britney Spears’ [or] ‘It’s Paris Hilton. They have these perfect lives. Who is gonna believe [them]? I didn’t even believe Paris — who’s gonna believe me?’ "
Of Britney’s conservatorship, Hilton said, “Dealing with it as a teenager was hard but I can’t imagine, still, as an adult, after working your entire life.”
“She’s built a huge empire; she’s a legend, she’s an icon, she’s a mother. She’s amazing and shehas these people controlling her money, her life,” she continued.
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Hilton also said during the podcast that she was “proud of” her friend “for speaking up and using her voice,” captioninga snippet from the episodeon Instagram, “I will always support and love Britney. She is so kind and sweet, and she deserves her freedom. I’ve been saying#FreeBritneyfor a long time, and I will keep saying it until she is free.”
source: people.com
