Here’s how celebrities have responded to Britney Spears’ plea for freedom

Stars and fans have rallied round Britney Spears after she pleaded for an end to her “abusive” conservatorship.

The singer’s ex Justin Timberlake is among the celebs to publicly back the pop icon after she told an LA judge that she “deserves” to be freed from the legal arrangement that has controlled her life for 13 years.

Spears, 39, told an explosive online court hearing on Wednesday: “This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life, I’ve worked my whole life. I deserve to have a two to three-year break.”

She also revealed that the controls are preventing her from marrying boyfriend Sam Asghari and starting a family, as they stipulate she must use contraception.

Following the hearing, Timberlake, who had a high-profile relationship with Spears in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said what is happening to his former girlfriend is “just not right”.

The actor and singer, 40, wrote in a series of tweets:

Timberlake, who split from Spears in 2002, said he and wife Jessica Biel fully support Spears. In February, he apologised to Spears for how he treated her during their break-up.

He added on Twitter: “Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live.”

Meanwhile, a host of other big names added their voices into the mix, including Mariah Carey, Rose McGowan and Khloe Kardashian:

Pop star Halsey said she “admires” Spears’s courage for speaking out, writing: “Bless Britney and I hope with my whole heart she is awarded freedom from this abusive system. She deserves it more than anything. I admire her courage speaking up for herself today.

“Additionally, f*** anyone who thinks they have the authority as an institution or individual to control a person’s reproductive health. #FreeBritney.”

And Meghan McCain, a TV personality and daughter of former US presidential nominee John McCain, suggested the terms of Spears’s conservatorship should be illegal.

“How is what has been done to Britney Spears not a human rights crime?” she asked.

“Isolation, controlling her capacity to reproduce without her consent, forcing her to work under inhumane conditions. If she were any other person the people who did this to her would be in jail.”

Meanwhile, the hashtag “FreeBritney” continued to trend well into Thursday, as fans from across the world joined the calls for her liberation from the oppressive legal controls:

Spears’s finances and personal affairs have been controlled by the conservatorship since 2008 when she suffered a series of mental breakdowns.

Last year the singer said she was “afraid” of her father Jamie, 68, who is largely in charge of the arrangement. She insisted would not return to the stage while he managed her estimated £43 million estate.

During her highly awaited court appearance, Spears told judge Brenda Penny she wants the conservatorship ended without a further medical assessment.

The 39-year-old said the law should be changed and she should not be under a conservatorship while she is able to work and provide for herself.

Penny said on Wednesday that a decision on ending the agreement could not be taken until a request is formally lodged with the court.

Samuel Ingham, Spears’s lawyer, said he will discuss the next steps with the star.