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Jamie Lynn Spears says she 'did take the steps to help' Britney Spears in tearful interview

Jamie Lynn Spears is opening up about her strained relationship with Britney Spears after the end of her sister's controversial conservatorship.

Following months of backlash from fans and criticism from Britney herself, Jamie Lynn addressed reports that her family failed to help the pop singer end her 13-year conservatorship, which saw their father, Jamie Spears, controlling Britney's estate for most of her adult life following a highly publicized breakdown in February 2008.

"I've always been my sister's biggest supporter. So when she needed help, I set up ways to do so, went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship and just end this all for our family. If it's going to cause this much discord, why continue it?" Jamie Lynn said during an interview with ABC News' GMA, which is set to air in full Thursday morning,

Jamie Lynn stressed that she "took no steps" to be part of the conservatorship that ultimately ended in November when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny ruled over its termination.

Jamie Lynn also says she attempted to facilitate help for her sister, despite Britney's repeated criticism of her sister on social media — a supposed rift that intensified when fans noticed that Britney had seemingly unfollowed her sibling on Instagram in recent weeks.

"It wasn't about agreeing with the conservatorship," Jamie Lynn continued in the interview. "Everyone has a voice and it should be heard. So if she wanted to talk to other people, then I did, I set that up. I even went to her legal team... previous legal team, and that didn't end well in my favor, so I did take the steps to help. But how many times can I take the steps without, um, you know, she has to walk through the door."

In the end, Jamie Lynn stressed that her "love is still there, one-hundred percent" for her sister, and has "only ever really loved and supporter her and done what's right by her," insisting that she's unclear on the future of their relationship. "I don't know why we're in this position right now," she finished.

Representatives for Spears didn't immediately return EW's request for comment on Jamie Lynn's ABC News interview.

BRITNEY SPEARS, JAMIE LYNN SPEARS
BRITNEY SPEARS, JAMIE LYNN SPEARS

Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty Images Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears in 2017

Though Britney's fans have long maligned the conservatorship, the battle to end it intensified throughout the summer of 2021, when the #FreeBritney digital movement reignited the legal case. In a June 23 testimony, Spears reportedly stressed that "my dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship… should be in jail," after long expressing that he have less control over her life and finances.

Since the conservatorship's termination, Britney has regularly expressed gratitude on social media for things like being able to spend more time with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, and do simple things in public, like going shopping and withdrawing personal cash from her own bank account.

Jamie Lynn, who rose to prominence on the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101, however, has faced sustained pushback amid the court battle, with a mental health nonprofit going as far as to reject an intended donation of proceeds from her book, Things I Should Have Said, following the ordeal.

Jamie Lynn's full interview with ABC News airs Thursday at 12:35 a.m. ET. Watch a portion of the interview above.

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