Former Spice Girls member Mel B, also known as Melanie Brown or “Scary Spice,” has opened up about the harrowing journey of leaving an allegedly abusive marriage, revealing her struggles with financial abuse and the subsequent need to move back in with her mother.
In an interview with the BBC published on Wednesday, the 48-year-old singer recounted her decision to leave California and seek refuge in her mother’s bungalow in England after filing for divorce from her ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte. Brown has publicly accused Belafonte of emotional, physical, and financial abuse throughout their decade-long marriage.
Speaking candidly, Brown stated, “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. So I literally had to eat humble pie, live with my mum.”
The divorce proceedings, which began in 2017, were accompanied by Brown filing for a temporary restraining order against Belafonte. However, Belafonte has consistently denied all allegations of abuse made against him.
Responding to Brown’s allegations, Belafonte’s legal team issued a statement to ABC News in 2017, dismissing her claims as “outrageous and unfounded” and suggesting they were part of a “smear campaign” aimed at masking Brown’s own behavior during their marriage.
Brown revealed to the BBC that she had to utilize funds earned from the Spice Girls’ 2019 stadium tour to cover legal expenses and payments to Belafonte. In a private settlement, she reportedly agreed to pay her ex-husband $350,000 along with $5,000 per month in child support for their daughter, Madison.
Reflecting on her experience, Brown emphasized the challenges of rebuilding her life after leaving an abusive relationship, stating, “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. You have to learn to trust people. You have to learn to trust yourself.”
In previous interviews and her memoir “Brutally Honest,” Brown has detailed the profound impact of her marriage on her mental health, disclosing a suicide attempt in 2014 and struggles with substance abuse as coping mechanisms.
Despite the hardships, Brown shared with the BBC that she has since been able to purchase her own home again through perseverance and frugality, describing the emotional significance of the moment in an Instagram post from February.
Her message to fellow survivors resonates with empowerment and resilience, as she urged them to reclaim their power and believe in their ability to overcome adversity.