OF SPICE GIRL’S EXTRAVAGANT’ LIFESTYLE Mel B blew £38m & has just £961 in bank account
extravagant. She wiped out all her Spice Girls money, approximately $50million (£38million), if not more.”
Mel B, real name Melanie Brown, looked strained as she came face to face with Belafonte for the first time since their acrimonious split.
She wore high-waisted black trousers and a white shirt with a black tie, and sat clutching a tissueue at the opposite side of the e court to Belafonte, 42, who was bearded and went dressed in a suit.
Jacalyn Davis,i s, representing Mel,el, spoke of their taxx problems, sayingg they were “sus- tained through h improvident life- style choices”.
She continued: d: “They never had d money at the end of the year to pay theireir taxes. All their ir community incomeme was being spent and then some. In this marriage, that would uld be Miss Brown’s incomecome from the Spice Girls.”irls.”
The court heard eard arguments over whetherhether the former Scary Spice should temporarily pay spousal support and $200,000 (£154,000) in legal fees to Belafonte, who claims to have no income. Larry Bakman, also representing Mel, said it would be “offensive” for her to pay for her alleged abuser to fight the case. Belafonte claims that prior to the breakup, he and Mel had lived a comfortable l life and money was never an i issue. In court documents,d he stated that his ex earns “$220,000 (£167,000)(£ and $250,000 (£190,000) a month”mon after making $1.587 million (£1.2million)(£ fromfr her America’sA Got TalentT contract. Additionally, he claims she makes $300,000 (£228,000)(£ a year fromfr her contracttr with nutritionti company Jenny Craig. Belafonte’s lawyerye also asked JudgeJu Lawrence RiffRi to order the salesal of the couple’sple’ Los Angeles homehom if necessary. It is currently on the market for $8 million (£6.1million).
On Friday, Judge Riff told the warring pair he was “sorry they engaged in such a rancorous fight” as he concluded the spousal support hearing.
He postponed his decision on whether Belafonte will be granted a total of $118,000 (£90,000) in spousal support until Wednesday.
The i l l - t empered hearing was split into two sessions and lasted over two-and-a-half hours.
Threesome
Neither Mel nor Belafonte spoke and both refused to comment afterwards.
The full divorce heari ng will begin on September 25.
America’s Got Talent judge Mel married film producer Belafonte in Las Vegas in June 2007. They had been dogged for a long time by rumours that their marriage was in trouble and she finally filed for divorce on March 20 t his year, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
She won a temporary restraining order after claiming her husband was abusive and had links to the porn industry.
She also accused him of taking millions of dollars from her and forcing her into threesome sex. TV favourite Mel described how she was once so desperate she took an overdose.
And she accused Belafonte of having an affair with their nanny, Lorraine Gilles, who became pregnant.
In the court files, she stated: “I have tried to leave the Respondent many times. Every time I tried, the Respondent threatened me with violence and threatened to destroy my life in every way.”
Her lawyers claimed Belafonte was a danger to their child as a “convicted domestic violence offender” with an “extensive criminal history”.
Belafonte has denied the claims and said he has been set up and made to look like a “bad guy” and was part of “an ongoing smear campaign”.
While he was granted access to daughter Madison, five, Belafonte lost his battle to regain contact with Mel’s daughter Angel, who was born three months before she married Belafonte.
Angel, 10, is Mel’s daughter with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy but carries Belafonte’s name.