Leann Rimes has slammed the "soul-sucking" treatment of Britney Spears.

The 41-year-old singer - who began her own career when she was just 13 years old - has a lot of sympathy for the 'Toxic' singer, who was released from her conservatorship in 2021 after 13 years because she can understand what it's like to be making money for other people.

Asked if she sympathises with Britney, she told the Sunday Times Culture magazine: “Oh, absolutely. I saw the Britney Spears documentary and was thinking, like, all these people that make money out of her and she has nothing to do with it. It’s just soul-sucking. That poor girl. That poor woman, really.”

LeAnn understands why people still view Britney, also 41, as still a "girl" because of her own life as a former child star, as she believes she has been "locked into a certain age" by the public.

She added: “I was America’s sweetheart. People didn’t want to see me grow up and explore my sexuality.”

The 'Can't Fight the Moonlight' hitmaker's early career was managed by her father Wilbur and Lyle Walker, but in 2000, she sued them both, alleging they had taken $7 million from her over five years and her dad countersued, accusing the singer of spending frivolously and drinking alcohol.

The lawsuit was settled under undisclosed terms and LeAnn and her father has since reconciled, so she is now philosophical about the situation.

She reflected: “Looking back, I think my dad did the best that he could.

"Parents managing a child is always a recipe for disaster. For me it became a business and I ended up not having parents.”

When she was 12, LeAnn signed a deal with Nashville label Curb Records that committed her to making 21 albums and potentially keeping her under contract until she was 35.

She sued to be released from the deal but eventually agreed to stay with the label under improved terms.

She said: “I was very gutsy, but I was in a contract that was really quite unfair and insane. I just wanted fairness."