Jamie Lynn Spears’ 14-year-old daughter, Maddie, understands she’s lucky to be alive after surviving a near-fatal ATV accident five years ago.
“We did a lot of work, obviously, to process it and now it’s more about focusing on the positive and the fact that it is a miracle — and that is not the case for so many people,” the actress, 31, tells Page Six in an exclusive new interview.
“We were blessed. Things like that don’t just happen for no reason,” she adds.
“That’s how we discuss it now. It’s our miracle anniversary, not our accident anniversary. And both Maddie and I are so grateful.”
In February 2017, Spears and her daughter Maddie, then 8, were at her husband Jamie Watson’s parents’ house, where Maddie went for a ride on her ATV. Somehow, the ATV ended up submerged in a pond — with Maddie strapped into it.
In a prodigious turn of events, Maddie suffered no brain damage and eventually made a full recovery.
Spears relived the traumatic, albeit miraculous, incident while filming Fox’s new reality series “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.”
The “Sweet Magnolias” star was one of 16 celebrities who traveled to the deserts of Jordan to push themselves physically and mentally by participating in a series of grueling challenges designed for U.S. military training.
Mere hours into production, the group — also including the likes of ex-“Bachelorette” Hannah Brown and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kenya Moore — was asked to jump out of a helicopter into open water.
“I was beyond terrified and, of course, triggered,” the “Zoey 101” alum reflects. “But I just had to do it, get through it. And I’m so glad I did.”
Spears — who immediately burst into tears and even vomited after completing the adrenaline-pumping task — ultimately felt better afterward despite the accompanying surge of emotional pain.
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“The way they used the physical elements to bring out this mental healing was really important. Obviously, having to go through that experience with Maddie was very tragic for me,” she explains.
“And even though it turned out to be a miracle and she survived, all the water and the elements involved in the helicopter mission was tough for me. The second I was asked if I was OK, I threw up. My body remembered the trauma of Maddie’s accident, but it was also super healing.”
The stream of tears that followed felt cathartic, says the mom of two, who also parents daughter Ivey, 4, with Watson. (She shares Maddie with ex Casey Aldridge.)
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“I cried for, like, the next hour after that. I needed that. I never, really, I think, allowed myself to go there and the only way to get there emotionally and mentally was if I physically pushed myself,” she tells us.
“It’s intense, but I’ll say it worked.”
Spears hopes families who’ve faced similar struggles will feel “less alone” after hearing more of her and Maddie’s story on “Special Forces.”
“Me having to talk about this on national TV and having a conversation about this will probably make a lot of other people feel like they’re not alone,” she says.
“I wanted to make myself completely vulnerable so that others who have been on this journey, too, can find healing for themselves.”
“Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” premieres Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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