Mel B's Wedding: Chaos And Confusion

Mel B, also known as Scary Spice, has had a turbulent relationship history. Her marriage to Stephen Belafonte, which followed a two-month courtship, was marred by allegations of abuse, blackmail, and coercive control. Belafonte, who was previously convicted of domestic violence, denied the allegations. The couple divorced in 2017, with Mel B citing emotional and physical abuse. She wrote about her experiences in her memoir, 'Brutally Honest'.

Mel B's wedding dress

Mel B has revealed that her close friend and former Spice Girls bandmate Victoria Beckham will be designing her wedding dress for her upcoming nuptials to fiancé Rory McPhee. Mel B confirmed the news during an appearance on the US chat show *Today with Hoda & Jenna*, saying:

> Victoria actually designed my dress and my mum’s dress. It’s such a beautiful honour to get.

The singer also revealed that she plans to wear two other dresses on her wedding day, explaining:

> I don't think it would be fair to just have one. Just have as many as you want — at least three, right? I'm going to really go for it. One to actually get married in, which is the proper ceremony — very proper at this church, St. Paul’s [Cathedral]. And then maybe I want to change out of that and be a bit more less… You know, I actually don't know!

Mel B's wedding to Stephen Belafonte in 2007 was, in her own words, "doomed" from the moment she put on her dress, which she now hates. The long, ivory dress with gold features and diamonds was designed by DSquared and was also worn with a feathery headdress.

Simon Cowell's joke about her wedding night

During an episode of America's Got Talent, Simon Cowell made a joke about Mel B's wedding night, which caused her to walk off stage. The joke was made after a magician's performance suffered a technical malfunction. Cowell quipped:

> "I kind of imagine this would be like Mel B's wedding night. A lot of anticipation, not much promise or delivery."

Mel B, who was in the middle of a divorce from her husband, Stephen Belafonte, responded by throwing her glass of water over Cowell before storming off the set.

Cowell later addressed the incident, saying he didn't regret the joke and thought Mel B would have found it funny. He said:

> "I was trying to make light of something… I thought she'd have a sense of humour. She lost it."

Her ex-husband's abuse

Mel B has been married twice. Her first husband was Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar, and her second was film producer Stephen Belafonte. Both marriages ended in divorce, with Mel B alleging abuse at the hands of her second husband.

Mel B filed for divorce from Belafonte in 2017, and shortly after, she filed for a temporary restraining order, which was granted. She claimed that Belafonte was physically abusive, forced her to perform sex acts, and threatened and extorted her. The abuse allegedly intensified when she was having successful moments in her career or when Belafonte was jealous of her interactions with other celebrities.

In restraining order documents, Mel B alleged that Belafonte punched and pushed her down onto a carpeted floor after she performed with the Spice Girls at the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012. She said her skin was "scabbed over from the rug burns," and that he forced her to tweet that she injured herself by running in high heels.

Mel B also claimed that Belafonte extorted her by secretly recording them during sex acts and threatening to make the videos public if she didn't have sexual trysts with him and other women. She further alleged that he got their nanny pregnant and locked her in the bathroom after she confessed to taking an overdose of aspirin.

Belafonte denied the allegations, telling TMZ, "I think someone's trying to set me up to look like a bad guy." He also contacted domestic abuse charity Women's Aid, telling them that Mel B was lying about being a victim of abuse and asking them to drop her as their patron. However, the charity refused to engage with him and referred him to Respect, a national charity with expertise in working with domestic abuse perpetrators.

Her ex-husband's blackmail

Mel B has accused her ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte, of blackmail and coercive control throughout their 10-year marriage. She alleges that Belafonte extorted her by secretly recording them during sex acts and threatening to make the videos public if she did not comply with his demands. These demands included having threesomes with him and other women.

Mel B has also claimed that Belafonte would "beat me down to let me know he was in charge." The abuse would intensify when she was having successful moments in her career or when he became jealous of her interactions with other celebrities. She recounted one incident where Belafonte punched and pushed her to the floor after she performed with the Spice Girls at the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012. She said her skin was "scabbed over from the rug burns", and that Belafonte forced her to tweet that she had injured herself by running in high heels.

Belafonte has denied all allegations, stating that he is “shocked” and “distraught” by the claims.

Her ex-husband's affair with the nanny

In 2017, Mel B's former nanny Lorraine Gilles claimed that she had a seven-year affair with the singer, which began when she was 18 years old. Gilles alleged that Mel B invited her to have threesomes with her and her husband, Stephen Belafonte, and that the singer often filmed them. Gilles also claimed that Mel B had an open marriage and that she was in a sexual and employment relationship with the singer.

Mel B alleged that Gilles had an affair with Belafonte behind her back, became pregnant with his child, and had an abortion. The singer also accused Gilles and Belafonte of taking money from her. In court papers, Gilles denied that she was ever pregnant with Belafonte's child and stated that the singer knew the father was someone else. She also denied taking any more money from Mel B than the agreed-upon rate for her nanny services.

Gilles sued Mel B for invasion of privacy, libel, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, claiming that the singer falsely painted her as a "homewrecker, prostitute, and extortionist". She also denied having any sex tapes or private possessions in a storage facility.

In 2021, it was reported that Gilles was writing a film about her wild life in Hollywood, including her time as a nanny for the singer. Mel B eventually agreed to pay Gilles £1.8 million after a lengthy legal battle over a defamation claim.

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