Jamie Lynn Spears Reveals How Her Family Reacted to Her First ‘DWTS’ Dance

Jamie Lynn Spears is gushing about her family after her Dancing With the Stars debut. While fans of her sister Britney were a little harsh when it came to her performance, Spears is still as grateful as ever for her family. The former Nickelodeon star opened up about connecting more with her daughters, Maddie, 15, and Ivey, 5, because of DWTS. She told ET that it “just meant everything” in regards to her daughters and mother, Lynne Spears, being in the audience for the premiere.

“It was like, OK, at least to have that, it’s been a day,” Spears shared. “I got my girls here and my family and that was it. I don’t think it would have been nearly as special without them.” Their support did wonders, as she and partner Alan Bersten scored a 15 out of 30 and were the first couple saved. The Sweet Magnolias actress said her daughters were “really proud. My youngest one, she did take a nap through most of the show, but she woke up for my performance. And then my oldest one said that she teared up at the end. That made my heart feel like, really, I don’t know. It was weird to see my 15-year-old proud of watching her mom dance on TV.”

While Jamie Lynn Spears admitted that she has “not done anything right in about three years” like most parents of teens, being on Dancing With the Stars has been a “bonding experience for us, so I’ve really enjoyed it.” Spears was also able to rehearse in Louisiana so she could be with her daughters, as opposed to most couples rehearsing in Los Angeles, where the show is filmed.

Spears has been making a lot of headlines this year on top of DWTS. She returned to her role of Zoey Brooks from Zoey 101 for the Paramount+ sequel movie over the summer. Spears was also on the Fox series , only she bowed out not long after starting because she missed her daughters. So, being able to bond with them through another series is probably a great feeling. Spears is also in the midst of a feud with Britney Spears. The singer lashed out at her younger sister at the beginning of the year after she made some “self-esteem” comments. With her tell-all memoir coming out next month, who knows what that will do to their already-damaged relationship.

Jamie Lynn Spears and Alan Bersten are safe for next week’s Dancing With the Stars. It is Latin Night, and the two will be dancing to a Pitbull song, so there will be a lot to look forward to, and not just with them. New episodes of DWTS air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.