Inside Im A Celeb star Jamie Lynn Spears tragic family history including grandmothers suicide

Jamie Lynn Spears, the younger sister of global superstar Britney Spears, is one of the 10 celebrities taking part in this year's series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

She's hoping to clear up some misconceptions about herself during her time on the show, which returned on Sunday, November 19.

The Zoey 101 star said: "There is literally every misconception you can have on a person about me so I don't take any of it seriously. But I do think going on I'm A Celebrity will be a nice way for people to see the real me. This is an opportunity to be myself and do something really cool and have some awesome experiences in the meantime."

Jamie Lynn, 32, continued: "I think my best quality is the fact that it takes a lot to hurt my feelings. Unless you are my children or my immediate family, nothing is going to hurt me.

"I can take a lot of s**t and it doesn't get me down, so I really think it's a good quality to have in a place where a lot of stuff is thrown at you!"

Jamie Lynn's stint in the jungle follows the recent release of her pop star sister's best-selling memoir, The Woman In Me, which revealed the extent of the control her father Jamie, 71, had over Britney, 41, as the conservator of her estate.

The new book sparked interest in the Spears' family history and the tragic events that took place. Let's take a look…

Jamie Spears was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, to parents June Austin Spears and Emma Jane Spears.

It is understood that Jamie's upbringing was difficult due to his mother's suicide and his father's demands. Emma Jane – Jamie Lynn's maternal grandmother – died by suicide when Jamie was 13 years old after suffering a miscarriage.

Britney's sister and Jamie's youngest daughter Jamie Lynn detailed her dad's childhood in her memoir, revealing how his own father was "abusive".

She penned: "My father was raised by an abusive father who made unreasonable demands of his son in all aspects of his life. Daddy was forced to practice sports for hours at a time—past the point of exhaustion."

Jamie Lynn continued: "For basketball, Paw-Paw June made Daddy shoot one hundred shots after practice. Daddy loved basketball, but his father made him abandon the court for the football field. He followed his father’s directive to play college football, knowing all along he would have been much more impactful as a basketball player."

Jamie went on to run a successful construction business, which saw him become known for developing businesses, including a restaurant, gym and spa. He has been married twice, having married first wife Debbie Sanders Cross in 1972 before going on to wed Lynne Irene Bridges in 1976. As of 2022, he and Lynne, who are parents to Britney, Jamie Lynn and Bryan, are separated.

Britney detailed her own harrowing experiences with her father Jamie in her book, saying he “controlled her body and her money” and “hurt” her with “fat” jibes.

The singer wrote: “If I thought getting criticised about my body in the press was bad, it hurt even more from my own father. He repeatedly told me I looked fat and that I was going to have to do something about it. Feeling like you're never good enough is a soul-crushing state of being for a child.

"He'd drummed that message into me as a girl, and even after I'd accomplished so much, he was continuing to do that to me. I became a robot. But not just a robot — a sort of child-robot. I had been so infantilised that I was losing pieces of what made me feel like myself.”

Jamie has largely remained silent on his daughter's conservatorship and the claims she has made, having only commented on the court case once since he was removed as conservator of her estate in 2021.

Defending himself in 2021, he said: "Not everybody's going to agree with me. It's been one hell of a time. But I love my daughter with all my heart and soul. Where would Britney be right now without that conservatorship? And I don't know if she'd be alive. I don't.

"For protecting her, and also protecting the kids, conservatorship was a great tool. Without it, I don't think she would have got the kids back."

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact Samaritans in the UK and Ireland on freephone 116 123, or [email protected] [email protected].

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