Former 'Zoey 101' Star Jamie Lynn Spears Defends Teen Pregnancy in Glamour

[Brian Damage]

Too bad MTV couldn't grab Britney Spears' little sis for its Teen Mom series.

In the latest issue of Glamour, Jamie Lynn Spears opens up about having a baby out of wedlock at the age of 16 and how she came to terms with the momentous decision after much discussion with her family and then-boyfriend Casey Aldridge.

Here's what the now 20-year-old actress-singer had to say.

"Casey was my first love. Since the day I saw him, I just wanted to marry him and be with him forever and ever," Spears told the magazine. "I believe in safety and birth control as prevention. But like many young girls...I was really scared to go to the doctor."

At that time she found out in late 2007, the thesp was starring in the Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101, and recalled being "too embarrassed" to ask for birth control.

When she informed fans she was preggers in a sit-down with OK! magazine that December, the notion of going public with the news weighed on her considerably.

"I did feel responsible for the young girls and the mothers who I probably confused and let down. I apologize for that. But I wasn't trying to glamorize teen pregnancy," Spears remarked. "I hated when [the tabloids] said that. Everybody is dealt a hand of cards. It was my choice to play them the way I played them. But the hateful comments hurt."

Specifically, Jamie Lynn meant the heat she took from various parent groups.


"To have the world come down on a situation that was already affecting my family hugely was hard. But this was my situation, and I did the best I could," she added.

Spears subsequently got engaged to Casey, and their daughter, Maddie, was born in June 2008. But the couple never tied the knot and she broke off the engagement in March 2009; aside from a brief reconciliation the following year, she remains a single mom—which is fine by her.

"I've been on dates here and there, going to dinner or a movie, but nothing further than that. I'm a mother first. I have a little girl, and until I'm serious about someone, he's not going to be around her," Spears said.

In the meantime, while she raises Maddie, the would-be popster is pursuing her musical aspirations in Nashville, where she performed a set of original material at a concert last November.

As for Britney?

"She's in such a good place right now. She's in love. She has her kids. So I'm happy for her," said Spears.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/jamie_ly...#ixzz1lFxQbuLY