BRITNEY Spears has claimed that there is a conspiracy to make her look "fat" - and photographers are editing her bikini pictures.
The 37-year-old star took to her Instagram page to share the bizarre theory with her followers, insisting that she is "as skinny as a needle".
Defiantly filming herself in just a bikini, Britney told her fans: "Hello, and please don't judge me - I look haggard right now.
"But my question to all of you is: A lot of fans in our world today always criticise people and say their pictures and videos they are posting are either not on time or they're fake.
"But noone ever really asks are the paparazzi pictures fake? And do the paparazzi do stuff to the pictures? And is the news really real?
"It's a conspiracy theory that I am actually interested in."
She continued: "Yesterday I went swimming, I look like I am 40lbs bigger than I am today.
"This is how I am right now, and I am as skinny as a needle.
"You tell me what is real."
The singer has dark make-up smudged around her eyes in the clips, with Britney acknowledging the mishap in a caption that read: "And sorry for the black mascara running down the side of my face... Just got off a jet ski."
The mother-of-two's comments appear to be a response to images of her zooming around on a jet ski in Miami yesterday with her boyfriend Sam Asghari.
In the snaps, Britney looked relaxed and happy as she enjoyed time with her hunky 25-year-old boyfriend.
Britney has been battling personal issues in recent months and has been spending time in a wellness centre and therapy sessions.
The pop princess has spoken openly about her counselling, sharing a silly video of herself pulling faces to Instagram last month where she opened up about her sessions.
She said: "After therapy and being too serious it’s so nice to be silly!!!!!"
Britney's parents, Lynne and Jamie, have also been at odds as they battle over who has control of their daughter's conservatorship.
What is a conservatorship?
A conservatorship is when “an adult with a relationship to the individual, perhaps a spouse or other relative, [petitions] a county probate court for control over his or her affairs.”
It’s normally used when an adult “lacks mental capacity” to safely make their own decisions – commonly when someone is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or is psychotic or suicidal.
In this case, Britney’s dad Jamie, and her lawyer Andrew Wallett (who quit the position last month) would approve every personal, medical and financial decision she made.
Britney’s dad approves her spending, and any big decisions like getting married and buying houses. He also approves jobs – like taking on tours, Las Vegas residencies and joining shows like US X Factor.
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The star's dad has been her conservator since 2008 - a year after Britney suffered a highly-publicised breakdown that saw her shave her head and attack the paparazzi with an umbrella.
Lynne has been to the courts to ask for a say in her daughter's care, wanting to be named on the official documents.
Last month a judge ordered an expert evaluation of the situation, which both parents agreed to.
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