Britney Spears: Financial firm asks to withdraw from conservatorship

It comes days after Spears said she was "traumatised" by the arrangement

A financial firm has asked to withdraw as co-conservator of pop star Britney Spears' financial affairs, citing her objections in court last week.

The Bessemer Trust are named as joint guardians of her estate, along with her father Jamie Spears.

The star previously asked through a lawyer to end her father's involvement but last week gave explosive testimony against the entire arrangement.

She described the conservatorship as "abusive" and asked for her life back.

Bessemer Trust filed a motion to withdraw from the arrangement on Thursday, just one day after the latest order in the long-running legal saga upheld their role as co-conservators.

The financial firm cited the singer's 23 June court testimony as the reason it wants to quit.

In a court filing, the company said it had "relied on the representations" that the ongoing conservatorship was voluntary and that all parties, including Spears, had consented to its involvement.

The firm said it had heard Britney Spears's desire to terminate the conservatorship and was seeking to respect her wishes.

The BBC has contacted the Bessemer Trust for a statement.

'I am traumatised'

Britney Spears has been under a conservatorship arrangement, governing her personal and financial affairs, for more than a decade.

Her father was initially put in charge of both parts in 2008 after she was twice hospitalised amid a series of public incidents that sparked widespread concern about her wellbeing.

The arrangement has been extended in the years since, with many of the details and hearings kept outside of the public eye.

The Bessemer Trust only officially entered the arrangement as co-conservators on Wednesday after a US judge denied a request to remove Jamie Spears from the agreement. That decision, which did not factor in last week's hearing, was in response to a request by the singer's court-appointed lawyer last year asking for the financial firm to be the only party involved.

Samuel Ingham had argued the 39-year-old was afraid of her father and said she refused to return to the stage while he remained in control of her career.

• Everything Britney said in court

• Britney Spears attacks guardianship

• The singer's conservatorship case explained

At a specially-convened hearing last week, Britney Spears described the conservatorship as "abusive" and said she wanted it to end.

The testimony was the singer's first full public statement about her situation and has sparked an outpouring of public support for her bid for freedom.

It came after years of speculation and concern from fans campaigning under the banner of #FreeBritney.

Speaking for 23 minutes, the star alleged she had been drugged, forced to perform against her will and prevented from having children under the arrangement.

• Britney: 'Sorry for pretending I've been OK'

• Jamie Lynn Spears speaks up for sister Britney

"I've been in denial. I've been in shock. I am traumatised," she told the court. "I just want my life back."

However, her lawyer is yet to file a formal request to terminate the conservatorship.