'She is my baby': Mel B discusses heartbreak over separation from youngest daughter Madison after divorce
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Iconic Spice Girl Melanie Brown or Mel B, known as "Scary Spice," has opened up about how painful it is for her to be separated from her 12-year-old youngest daughter Madison following her divorce from ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.
The renowned Spice Girl and her former husband, Belafonte, have a 12-year-old daughter named Madison. Additionally, Mel B has a 25-year-old daughter named Phoenix from her marriage to dancer Jimmy Gulzar, and a 16-year-old daughter named Angel from her relationship with Eddie Murphy.
View this post on Instagram
Mel B expresses her distress at being apart from her Madison
Recently, Mel B, aged 48, discussed the challenges of rebuilding her life after divorcing her abusive and controlling spouse in 2017. Following the divorce, she moved into her mother's home, where she found herself sharing a bed with her three children.
The singer moved back to her hometown of Leeds in 2019. After struggling financially for a few years, the Spice Girl star eventually got back on her feet and moved out to begin a new life.
Following a protracted custody trial, US courts decided that since Madison is an American citizen, she must stay with her father. Additionally, Belafonte has a 19-year-old daughter named Gisele. Due to the custody arrangement, the singer can only spend time with her youngest daughter during school holidays.
In an interview with The Sun, Mel talked about being apart from her daughter and said, "It is like having an arm cut off. She is my baby. I have spent a fortune on legal battles but at least she spends big chunks of time here. In the eyes of the court, I’m the big earner and have to pay his court fees as well as my own."
"I’ve been campaigning through my work on behalf of Women’s Aid for the court system to better understand financial abuse," she added.
Mel B praised fiance hairdresser Rory McPhee
Mel and her ex-husband Belafonte reached a divorce settlement in the summer of 2018, which included the dropping of all abuse claims.
In a statement advocating for the assault survivors' organization Women's Aid, Mel B previously revealed that despite being adept at concealing her struggles, she endured a prolonged period of suffering during her time with Belafonte.
The singer said that her fiance, 36-year-old Leeds hairdresser Rory McPhee, has been crucial in helping her regain her self-esteem. "He is a family friend and I have known him for a long time. So there was a foundation of trust and respect," Mel B said of McPhee.
"And he is a great hairdresser! When I came back home in 2019 he nurtured my curls back and at the same time nurtured my trust and affection, and it just grew bit by bit."
The Spice Girl continued: "I kept pushing him away, saying, ‘I’m damaged goods’. But Rory can’t even understand how someone would even raise their voice to a woman. He is a great influence on me. If I am getting manic he can calm me."
View this post on Instagram
Mel B accused ex-husband Stephen Belafonte of financial, mental, and physical abuse charges
Over the years, Mel B, who at the height of her career was rumored to have a $30 million net worth, has accused Belafonte of financial, emotional, and physical abuse, all of which he denied.
The singer disclosed that following her divorce from Belafonte in 2018, her substantial earnings from her time with the Spice Girls had dwindled to only a few hundred dollars, per Daily Mail.
Mel said that during their divorce struggle, she would go bulk shopping at Lidl and Costco and relocate into her mother's bungalow in Leeds. It was a far cry from her life in Los Angeles, where she claims to have lost all control over her enormous wealth.
"In LA I hadn’t bought a pint of milk in years. But back home I would buy in bulk from Costco and get really into shopping in Lidl and Aldi," Melanie revealed to The Sun.
After enduring an abusive relationship, the media celebrity learned to budget for herself once more, using her funds more sensibly. She described this process as regaining her sense of control.
