Mel B at Sirius XM Studios in New York City in January 2024.Photo:Santiago Felipe/Getty
Santiago Felipe/Getty
Melanie “Mel B” Brownis opening up about how she got back on her feet after leaving an abusive marriage.
The singer revealed just how much her divorce from the film producer, 48, whom she hasalleged was physically and emotionally abusive, also took a toll on her financially. “I wasn’t just emotionally and physically abused, there was all the financial abuse, too. I didn’t realize that I didn’t have as much money as I thought I had,” she told the BBC. “So I literally had to eat humble pie, live with my mum.”
Mel B at ‘America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League’ in November 2023.Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Brown shared that it was a major adjustment at first. “My mum was the kind of person that would say, ‘Oh you’ve left him now, you’re fine.’”
“Obviously any situation is better than being with your abuser, but when you’ve left that kind of abusive situation, it’s like starting all over again,” the pop star continued. “You have to learn to trust people. You have to learn to trust yourself.”
Brown told the outlet that living in Leeds and surrounding herself with her family “definitely” helped her.
After feeling as though buying her own home again would “never be on the cards,” the formerAmerica’s Got Talentjudge said that the experience also helped her save enough money to be able to do so, following years of paying legal fees and payments to her ex-husband.
Mel B in London in March 2022.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
Brown originallyfiled for divorcefrom Belafonte after 10 years of marriage in March 2017. During the divorce proceedings, the British staralleged her ex-husband had been abusivetoward her, which he denied.
Theirdivorce was finalizedin December 2017 with all abuse allegations dropped and the agreement that Brown would pay Belafonte $5,000 a month in child support in addition to monthly $15,000spousal support, as well as $350,000 for his attorney fees.
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Since relocating to Leeds, Brown has also becomeengaged to hairstylist Rory McPhee. The couple announced their engagement after three years of dating in October 2022, and they areplanning to marryat St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in the near future.
Spice Girls photographed backstage at the Brit Awards in February 1997.Ray Burmiston/Avalon/Getty
Ray Burmiston/Avalon/Getty
Recently, the formerX Factorjudge has also begunteasing a reunionwith all five Spice Girls members, includingVictoria Beckham,Emma Bunton,Mel CandGeri Halliwell Horner.
In a March appearance on the U.K. talk showLoose Women, she confirmed, “We are definitely doing something.”
“I’m probably going to get told off [for revealing that], but I’ve said it. There you go," Brown added. “I’m in trouble now.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
