Britney Spears dances with bandage after knife scandal

Fans of American pop singer Britney Spears are increasingly concerned after the singer posted and then deleted a new dance video with a bandaged finger.

The Toxic hitmaker shared a clip on Sunday (local time) of her right index finger wrapped in a bandage as the 41-year-old danced to Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons.”

The post was later deleted from her account and replaced the next day with a video of Spears dancing to the same song without her headbands.

The video comes two weeks after Spears raised safety concerns among fans after dancing with knives on her Instagram page.

Spears showed off her choreography with a set of knives in each hand, apparently inspired by Shakira’s recent performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

She claimed the knives were fake and purchased by her team from a props store and urged fans to “relax.”

According to NBC News, authorities conducted a health check on Spears several days after the video.

“This is an exaggeration. She expressed her freedom and continues to do so,” a source close to the singer told NBC News.

It’s unclear whether Spears records her videos in advance to post later.

Spears has been making these videos for years and is usually celebrated by her fans, who are happy to see the star having fun and being herself after years of living with her exhausting conservatism and public scrutiny.

She claims her dance videos are a source of joy for her, writing in 2021 that “the last two years of posting on Instagram have essentially rediscovered my love for dancing.”

Where to get help

• 1737, Need to talk? To speak with an experienced consultant, call or text 1737 for free.

• Alarm New Zealand 0800 ALARM (0800 269 4389)

• Depression.org.nz 0800 111 757 or text 4202

• Life line 0800 543 354

• Rural Support Fund 0800 787 254

• Samaritans 0800 726 666

• Suicide Hotline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

• Yellow Brick Road 0800 732 825

• thelowdown.co.nz Web Chat, Email Chat or Free Text 5626

• How are you 0800 942 8787 (children aged 5 to 18). Telephone consultations are available from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 23:00 and on weekends from 15:00 to 23:00. Live chat is available from 15:00 to 22:00 daily.

• Youth line 0800 376 633, free text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or find live chat and other support options here.

• If it’s an emergency, Click here to find your local crisis assessment team number.

• In case of a life threat, call 111.