Britney's father reveals stress of recent court battle
Britney Spears' mother struggled with their recent court battle more than the popstar.
The 30-year-old 'X Factor' USA judge's father Jamie Spears has opened up about the family's recent victory against her former associate Sam Lutfi - whose defamation, battery and breach of contact case against the family was thrown out on Thursday - and said Lynne Spears found reliving their daughter's darkest days extremely painful.
The father-of-three, who still has legal control of his daughter via a conservatorship, told gossip website TMZ.com: "Yeah I think it was harder on Lynne than it was me or Britney because Britney and I have been in the trenches for a long time together and we knew what we had to bear. But I think Lynne relived it in having to watch it on the screens and stuff and all of the articles and stuff like that. I feel she took it the hardest of anyone in the family."
Jamie also hit back at speculation Britney is still in contact with Sam, who accused Jamie of threatening to kill him after assaulting him.
He said: "As far as I know and I know pretty well, I would have to say four years or five years. I really don't care what the tabloids say."
But Jamie said he is proud of how far the 'Till The World Ends' singer has come since her public meltdown in 2008, during which he thought she might die before she was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital and temporarily lost custody of her two sons Sean and Jayden, but insisted she is still on the road to recovery.
He said: "Yes that's the most amazing thing probably I would have to say is where we started at and where we are today.
"It's been a long road. We are still travelling on that same road to get my daughter as positioned in her life to where she can carry on and do the things she wants to do even though I know that it looks as though everything is rosy rosy on the outside. Britney - it's all a work in progress."
But Jamie said he does think Britney will eventually be able to regain full control of her life, although he is not sure when.
He said: "Yes I do think that. I don't govern those things, we have a whole team of people and there is a very very special judge that oversees that time."
