Britney Spears’ former make-up artist Julianne Kaye who followed the pop star across the world, admits emotionally that she hopes she ‘gets the help she needs’
17:00, 15 Mar 2026Updated 19:25, 15 Mar 2026
Britney Spears once told those closest to her that the life fame had thrust upon her was never the one she wanted. The release of Baby One More Time had turned the teenager from small-town Louisiana into one of the most famous women on the planet almost overnight.
Nearly three decades later, Britney is still struggling in the limelight after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in California. Now one of the women who knew her best during those early years, and even lived with her, has opened up about her fresh fears for the star.
Make-up artist and stylist Julianne Kaye was just in her twenties when she landed the job of a lifetime accompanying Britney on tours from Europe to Asia. Even back then, it was patently clear that life in the spotlight was a constant struggle.
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Julieanne hasn’t spoken to the star in ‘years’ but once followed her on tour across the globe(Image: NBC)
The make-up artist remembers how ‘brutal’ paparazzi were at the start of Britney’s career(Image: NBC)
“When I met her everything was exciting, but as it got more serious and demanding, the management would always make her work more than she wanted to. It started getting her pretty depressed. She’d be crying a lot, saying, ‘I want to be normal.’”
At first, Julianne remembers Britney as a bright, warm and bubbly young woman who was thrilled by the opportunities opening up around her. “She was fun…so much energy, sweet, and super down-to-earth,” she says. “She was really excited about everything in life. Obviously, as time went on, things got a little more jaded and exhausting, but when I first met her, it was all new and fun.”
But soon the scale of the singer’s rise quickly became overwhelming, leaving Britney in dangerous situations and unable to cope. “It went from being able to walk around a mall where people didn’t really know who she was, to not being able to leave the hotel room. We’d be in a van and fans would be rocking it; it felt very crazy. It happened like a juggernaut, really overnight.”
Alongside the adoration of fans came relentless media attention. “The paparazzi were really brutal back then,” Julianne says. “I went to The Ivy recently and didn’t see a single one, but back then it was a sea of them. They’d be climbing over your fence trying to get a picture. It was relentless.”
Despite the madness surrounding her every move, Julianne remembers the young star as always on the look-out for her. “She was always so thoughtful,” she says. “I remember one time she went on a shopping spree and bought me a whole cart of stuff, sweaters and things, just because she thought of me. She had that Southern quality of taking care of people.”
Hayes says the singer always had that ‘Southern quality of taking care of people'(Image: NBC)
More than two decades later, Julianne says it is painful watching events unfold from afar.
Last week Britney was handcuffed by the California Highway Patrol and held by police for over nine hours after being pulled over. A police dispatch call said officers pulled her over after spotting a BMW “braking and swerving in and out of lanes” erratically at “high speed”.
The singer’s manager Cade Hudson later said he hoped the arrest marks the ”long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
“It’s disappointing and sad,” Julianne says. “I feel like nobody should be getting a DUI when you have Uber and car services. But the arrest also surprised me as I didn’t think she ever left the house.”
Although the two women have not spoken in years, Julianne admits she still feels a strong connection to the person she once worked alongside.
She famously styled her and boyfriend Justin Timberlake in their now infamous matching double-denim outfits at the American Music Awards in 2001. And she was by her side too after their subsequent split which left her heartbroken after Justin sang about it in his song Cry Me A River.
Like many people, she has been increasingly concerned by some of Britney’s erratic Instagram posts. “Listen, I haven’t talked to her in so many years, so I can’t say exactly what is going on,” she says. “But if you look at her Instagram in general, she does seem off the rails. It’s scary.”
She was also deeply uncomfortable watching the conservatorship that controlled Britney’s life for more than a decade. From a marriage ban, to not being allowed her own credit cards, Britney’s life was mapped out for her by others.
She would reconnect with Britney in a heartbeat, she says(Image: NBC)
“It all felt very wrong,” Julianne says. “You don’t put somebody in a conservatorship and then make them do Vegas shows. It should be about getting help, not making money for ‘the machine.’”
Now that the legal arrangement has ended, she worries about who is around the singer. “Now that she’s left to her own devices, you wonder if that was the way to go,” she says. “It doesn’t seem like she has any friends or a good group of people having her back. It’s strange that she’s never out at a restaurant like normal people.”
Despite the distance between them now, Julianne says she would reconnect with Britney in a heartbeat if she had the chance. “I’m the kind of person who could pick up with any friend after 20 years,” she says. “But I’m afraid we are miles apart mentally based on what I see. If I could reach out and take her to lunch, I would. But I’m sure she has been ostracized.”
Looking back, she insists there were no signs of mental illness that would blight her later life. “Not at all,” she says. “I mean, she believed in fairies, but that was about it.”
Recently she has been revisiting old photographs from their years together, which has seen her past emotions resurface. “I’ve been organizing and pulling out old pictures,” she says. “It was a big part of my life. I grew up with Britney in my 20s. It’s sad that none of our old camp is in touch with her anymore. How do you even get in touch with her?”
Julianne also believes medication Britney was given during the conservatorship may have had lasting consequences. “I think the lithium they gave her during the conservatorship might have done permanent damage,” she says. “Her behaviour isn’t that of a typical person and I just hope that she gets the help she needs.”
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