Britney Spears has checked herself into a mental-health facility for “emotional distress†over her father’s ongoing health issues, TMZ and Variety report. The pop star is said to have admitted herself a week ago for a 30-day stint after becoming “distraught†over her father’s turn for the worse. Spears had previously canceled her latest Las Vegas residency in January, citing her father’s recent hospitalization and the life-threatening nature of his illness. “It’s important to always put your family first … and that’s the decision I had to make,†she wrote.
TMZ reports that her father has since had two surgeries to treat “major†issues with his intestines and colon, and has suffered complications from that second surgery; his condition is described as “quite serious and not getting better.†Shortly before the TMZ report, Spears posted on Instagram for the first time since January with a picture of a quote about self-care and a caption that reads, “We all need to take time for a little ‘me time.’†According to sources who spoke to People, Spears “just needed to focus on herself.†(Vulture has reached out to Spears’s reps for clarification.)