LeAnn Rimes speaks out on the dangers of parents managing their kids’ careers

Not only does Leann Rimes think having your parents manage your career is a bad idea, but she also made the point that growing up in the spotlight as a child star can stunt your growth.

On the coattails of Britney Spears’ release of her memoir, which definitely described in detail her conservatorship with her own father, Rimes speaks out about her own issues with her manager father in an interview with People. 

“In 1998, the singer and actress filed a lawsuit against her father and Lyle Walker, who were her co-managers at the time, alleging that the pair had stolen $7 million of her earnings,” the article reported.

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“Rimes’ father countersued before the case was settled. The father and daughter later reconciled before Rimes’ wedding to husband Eddie Cibrian in 2011,” per the article.

Reflecting on that legal battle, Rimes told People, “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.”

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So not only did it feel like she never had parents, but it was simultaneously like she couldn’t grow up either.

“I was America’s sweetheart. People didn’t want to see me grow up and explore my sexuality,” Rimes explained to People. “I don’t feel like I stepped into my womanhood till the last five years,” she told the publication. “Learning to say no was probably the best thing in the world. I started to realize how disappointed I felt in myself when I did things that I just didn’t want to do,” she said.

Now, the 41-year-old singer will be performing in London in May—for the first time in six years —on her own terms.