Jamie-Lynn Spears is in for a wild ride in the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! jungle – but after the crazy life she’s already lived, she’ll be ready for it.
Jamie-Lynn first shot to fame in the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 back in 2005, though she had appeared in her sister Britney Spears’ 2002 flick Crossroads prior to that. 2023 saw her take part in Zoey 102, a reboot of the show that made her famous, while she’s also starred in everything from All That to Just Jordan.
She’s also had a pretty successful music career just like her sister. But after falling pregnant aged just 15, Jamie-Lynn was forced to quit Zoey 101 to focus on becoming a mum. She’s since been embroiled in a toxic feud with her sister, claimed she is ‘broke’, and battled a sad split from her baby daddy.
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Daily Star takes a look into the actress’s life before the Australian jungle. Buckle up, you’re in for a bumpy road.
15 and pregnant
In 2007, Jamie-Lynn discovered she was pregnant with her first child when she was only 15 years old. Forced to drop out of the public eye to give birth, the star revealed her parents “banished” her into isolation after she revealed her pregnancy to them.
Despite repeatedly instructing their daughter to opt for an abortion or to give her baby up for adoption at a “home for unwed mothers”, Jamie-Lynn refused, and later welcomed her daughter Maddie when she was 16. But her birth journey wasn’t easy, and she and her mum Lynne Spears were forced to stay in an isolated cabin somewhere in Mississippi while pregnant – and she’s still not sure of the exact location.
In her memoir, Jamie-Lynn penned: “They took my smartphone away, fearing the news would get out, and insisted that no one share any information with anyone, especially the press. My daddy and I stopped speaking and the tension was terrible.”
(Image: ITV)
Jamie-Lynn welcomed Maddie with her 19-year-old baby daddy Casey Aldridge, reflecting in 2020 of the pregnancy: “You have your first love, or what you call love, in high school. You think it’s forever, and then oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.
“I am mortified to have to tell my parents this and my family this. I do not care what TMZ thinks about it. That was all I was thinking about: ‘These are the people I love that I have to tell, and also, I’m pregnant. There’s a human being growing inside of me, and I’m so young, I’m almost a baby myself,’” she told Nylon.
Jamie-Lynn went on to welcome a second daughter, Ivey, with her husband Jamie Watson, who she married in 2014.
Near-death horror
In 2017, when Maddie was eight years old, an ATV accident left the tot near death after she almost drowned after accidentally driving into the pond at her home in Louisiana, with the vehicle flipping over when it hit the water.
Horrific scenes saw Maddie airlifted to hospital in New Orleans, where she remained in a coma for two days. She was thankfully released from hospital later that month, with a police report confirming she had been “trapped” in the ATV.
Documents read: “The child was trapped and secured by the seatbelt and the ATV’s safety netting. Within two minutes, Acadian Ambulance Services arrived and assisted in freeing the child from the cold waters.” Her step-father Jamie Watson dove in to rescue her, though things looked “grim” initially.
Sweet Magnolias star Jamie-Lynn said in 2022: “We did a lot of work, obviously, to process it and now it’s more about focusing on the positive and the fact that it is a miracle — and that is not the case for so many people.We were blessed. Things like that don’t just happen for no reason.
“That’s how we discuss it now. It’s our miracle anniversary, not our accident anniversary. And both Maddie and I are so grateful,” she told Page Six.
Britney Spears feud
Despite a 10-year age gap between the Spears sisters, the pair remained pretty close until drama with Britney’s conservatorship began. Britney’s fans criticised Jamie-Lynn for not speaking out in Britney’s defence – and things only got more tense from there.
Britney accused her sister of trying to “sell a book at [her] expense”, talking of Jamie-Lynn’s memoir Things I Should Have Said. Britney penned via social media at the time: “The 2 things that did bother me that my sister said was how my behaviour was out of control. She was never around me much 15 years ago at that time …. so why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense???”
Jamie-Lynn says she took “no steps” to be a part of the conservatorship and earned no money from it, while Britney fumed: “As I was fighting the conservatorship and receiving a lot of press attention, she was writing a book capitalising on it. She rushed out salacious stories about me, many of them hurtful and outrageous.”
Things got worse when Jamie-Lynn alleged that Britney grabbed a knife and locked them both in a room together, explaining: “I was scared. That was a moment I had. I also was fearful to really say anything because I didn’t want to upset anybody, but I also was so upset that she didn’t feel safe.”
‘Broke’ claims
Though she’s likely to be making a pretty hefty pay packet on I’m A Celeb, Jamie-Lynn previously said she’s “broke” and not on her sister’s payroll. In 2021, she shared a screenshot to Instagram of a headline which read: “Britney Spears’ sister Jamie-Lynn shares photos of her home life… after it’s revealed she is the ONLY family member not on the singer’s payroll.”
The actress responded: “Facts… now leave my broke a** alone!” At the time, Britney’s father Jamie Spears was in charge of her $60million fortune.
Compared to her sister’s, Jamie-Lynn’s estimated net worth is a drop in the ocean at $6million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Baby daddy arrest
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In 2020, Jamie-Lynn’s baby daddy Casey Aldridge found himself in hot water when he was charged with burglary in Mississippi, after being arrested in December 2019. He was charged with five counts of burglary of a storage house and one count of burglary of a dwelling.
It wasn’t the first time Casey found himself in legal trouble. Police previously found him passed out in a vehicle, surrounded by Oxycodone, Lorazepam, Xanax and drug paraphernalia. He was handed a felony charge for possession, and three misdemeanour charges.
In 2016, he was arrested for driving under the influence, reckless driving and possession of paraphernalia, serving a year’s probation after being found guilty. But he told Us Weekly: “I’m going to do everything in my power to better myself and not have to go through situations like this and make sure it never happens again. Whatever I need to do to do that — to not let it happen again.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
