FILE PHOTO: Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, U.S., August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pop star Britney Spears said on Wednesday she was taking a little “me time” after a report she checked herself into a mental health facility to help cope with her father’s illness.
Spears, 37, announced in January that she was pulling out of all her concerts and work commitments to be with her family after her father Jamie came close to death in November after suffering a ruptured colon.
On Wednesday, the “Stronger” singer posted a message on her Instagram account saying, “We all need to take time for a little ‘me time’.” She also posted a quote reading “Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body, spirit.”
Celebrity website TMZ said Spears voluntarily checked herself into a residential mental health facility about a week ago.
A source close to the singer said Jamie Spears was not doing well after a second surgery three weeks ago, and that Britney was finding his prolonged illness hard to deal with.
“They are very close. She just wants to take time to focus on herself,” the source told Reuters.
Jamie Spears is credited with reviving the career of his teen sensation daughter after her life spiraled out of control in 2007-08. He remains the court-approved conservator of her business affairs.
Spears became a pop phenomenon in 1999 with her debut single “…Baby One More Time” and subsequent hits like “Oops!…I Did It Again.” She made a comeback in late 2008 with the album and world tour “Circus” and has performed in Las Vegas since 2014.
Spears in January withdrew from a new series of concerts in Las Vegas that were due to run from February-August.
Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Tom Brown