Jamie Lynn Spears is receiving Dancing with the Stars support from an unexpected source: her former brother-in-law Kevin Federline.
Federline, 45 — who was married to Britney Spears from 2004 to 2006 — told TMZ in a video posted on Tuesday, October 3, that he’s “rooting for her, that’s for sure.”
The Zoey 101 alum, 32, is one of the 14 celebrities competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars. She’s partnered with professional dancer Alan Bersten, who told Us Weekly in September that he has such a “fun” dynamic with Jamie Lynn.
“It’s been nice. Jamie Lynn’s awesome, and we’re able to just work and not really get distracted,” Bersten, 29, said. “She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met, honestly. We have a lot of fun rehearsals, but she really cares [and] you can’t ask for anything [better] in a partner.”
He continued: “[We] get a lot done, but at the same time, it’s like everything is so enjoyable about it. There’s something about Jamie Lynn’s energy that there’s not a lot of toughness. It’s not really hard. It’s all just kind of flowing really easily, and I’m very grateful for that.”
While the Sweet Magnolias star has fans in both Bersten and Federline, she and Britney, 41, have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years — particularly due to Britney’s 13-year conservatorship and its aftermath.
Recently, Jamie Lynn and Britney have been on good terms. Jamie Lynn opened up to Variety in July about their relationship and how she told her daughter Maddie to be “so proud” of her aunt.
“I have nothing but absolute love for every single one of my family members,” she said. “If I learned anything from last year, being so open and feeling like I had to defend myself at times, I don’t feel like there’s anything else that I need to say. I just have to leave it where it is because those conversations are meant to be personal.”
Britney, for her part, gushed about spending time with her younger sister in June.
“It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!! I’ve missed you guys so much !!!” the Grammy winner, wrote via Instagram. “Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family !!!”
The “Toxic” singer has recently made headlines for her split from personal trainer Sam Asghari after 14 months of marriage. Asghari, 29, filed for divorce from Britney in August and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason the pair were calling it quits.
Prior to her respective marriages to Asghari and Federline — the latter of whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 18, and Jayden James, 17 — Britney was briefly married to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander, in 2002.