AceShowbiz - Drew Barrymore has claimed Britney Spears has been sending her "smoke signals" in response to videos she sent her amid her battle to end her conservatorship.

The "Blended" star - who had previously chosen to "purposely" support Britney "silently" rather than joining the #FreeBritney movement online - has revealed she has been sending the 39-year-old pop icon video messages of "encouragement" and offered her support if she needs it.

"I wanted to really show her I'm someone who has understood what a journey is like - and I don't compare myself to her - but I'm here to support her if there's anything she needs in private," former child star Drew told Entertainment Tonight.

"The Drew Barrymore Show" host insisted Britney, whose father Jamie has controlled her person since the conservatorship began in 2008 until he stepped down in 2019 due to health issues, has a right to live her life and make mistakes and is the "key to her freedom."

"I am very invested in this," she added. "I think everyone deserves the chance to get their life right, wrong and everything in between. This has become such public interest because it's about something bigger. It's about being allowed to live your life. And so, I'm invested in this and I really want her to find her freedom."

Drew sharing how she has been supporting the "Lucky" singer comes as Britney edges closer to victory, as her father is now petitioning to end her conservatorship after 13 years.

In court documents filed this week, Jamie said "recent events" and "changed circumstances" suggest the need for his daughter to have her estate, finances and medical care controlled "may no longer exist."

However, Britney's lawyer, Mathew S. Rosengart, responded to the petition and vowed to continue investigations into her father's "financial mismanagement and other issues" after he was accused of trying to extort $2 million (£1.4 million) from his daughter.