Mel and ex vowed: No bitter divorce
Promise revealed as they gear up for court war
WARRING Mel B’s divorce battle with Stephen Belafonte comes AFTER they vowed to stay civil for their kids’ sake, a friend has revealed.
Ex-spice Girl Mel, 42, filed for divorce in March and joint custody of daughter Madison, six, looked to be on the cards.
But things rapidly turned nasty amid claims of assault, cheating and forced threesomes.
Restaurant owner Belafonte, 42, is now said to have amassed 2,500 exhibits – including a sex tape – for the divorce hearing, while America’s Got Talent judge Mel has 50.
A source said: “They always said if they were to split they wouldn’t drag the kids into it and they would be civil for the children. If anything ever came up on TV about divorce they would always agree and say they would never put their kids through that.”
But relations plummeted when Mel filed a restraining order accusing her ex of abuse, sexual exploitation and making their nanny pregnant.
Belafonte, who denies the claims, wants joint custody of Madison and access to step-daughter Angel, 10.
The source added: “All Stephen cares about is his kids. He is completely heartbroken that he has to see Madison with someone watching over him
Belafonte and he can’t contact Angel because of the restraining order.” Mel – who also has daughter Phoenix Chi,18 – has alleged she was in fear for her life after a series of beatings and called herself a “domestic abuse survivor” on Instagram. Sources say Belafonte aims to discredit her with a barrage of evidence. One sex tape is said to show he did not coerce Mel into threesomes. Stripper Siara Diande, 32, who said she had a romp with Mel and Belafonte, will testify in Los Angeles. She called him a “gentle giant” while Mel was the boss. A spokesman for Mel made no comment last night. halina.watts@ trinitymirror.com