Mel turns Disney mum after coke scandal
Mickey and Minnie were on hand to help
With friends fearing Mel B is spiralling out of control, and estranged husband Stephen Belafonte accusing her of taking cocaine in front of her kids, the former Spice Girl was in need of some good PR last week.
So, it was pretty handy that photographers were there to capture her in mum mode as she took her three daughters, Phoenix, 18, Angel, 11, and Madison, six, to Disneyland.
“Mel is doing everything she can to show that her kids are her main priority,” an insider reveals. “That’s why she set up the family trip to Disneyland, and has got a lot of other fun things planned. Her mum, Andrea, is coming over to help and friend Sharon Osbourne is lending a hand, too. She wants to show the world that Stephen’s claims couldn’t be further from the truth and that she’s a hard-working single mother doing her best to provide for her children.
“She’s been working flat out on America’s
Got Talent and now it’s finished, she’s concentrating on her kids and making sure they’re happy.
“She feels terrible about how much this divorce is affecting them, so she’s trying to create a happy environment.”
Mel and Stephen separated in March after ten years together and their divorce quickly turned nasty, with the 42-year-old reality judge accusing him of domestic abuse. Last week, Stephen claimed in a new legal declaration that Mel had battled a cocaine and alcohol addiction, which impacted on their marriage and her ability to care for her children. He backed up his claims with texts between himself, Mel and marriage therapist Dr Charles Sophy.
The couple are in court as they try to sort out the divorce following issues over money and custody. Stephen said, “The biggest reason for my concern with respect to the safety of the children was due to the Petitioner’s habitual and consistent addiction to, and abuse of,cocaine and alcohol.”
Insiders say Mel just wants the divorce to be over, so she can get on with her life. “She knew Stephen would sling mud during this process and she was prepared for it,” our source adds. “Having the recent drug-taking claims come out has been devastating and she was mortified. She’s gone into overdrive now, making sure she’s seen publicly being there for her kids and being the opposite of what Stephen claims she is.”