Abuse drove Mel B into drug addiction

In Brutally Honest, Mel B’s no-holds barred autobiography, the 43-year-old former member of the Spice Girls and talent show judge says she would take as many as six lines of cocaine a day while working on The X Factor.

But it had nothing to do with the pressures of the show, she said, instead citing abusive husband Stephen Belafonte as the cause of her addiction.

“I was a sad, pathetic person, out of control.”

Mel, pictured, snorted two lines of cocaine on waking while filming The X Factor. “Then I would pray, ‘God, I’m sorry for taking cocaine, but please help me get through this day’. It numbed my pain. It lifted me up enough to be ready to fire on all cylinders and forget about everything but the show,” according to The Irish Sun.

Mel and Stephen married in 2007, soon after she split from Hollywood star Eddie Murphy. In public they seemed to be enjoying a millionaire lifestyle and had a daughter, Madison, together. However, behind closed doors Mel said Stephen took control of her life, even making sex tapes to blackmail her to stay. “He made me feel ugly. Like a waste of space, a terrible mother and a whore.”

By the time Mel divorced Stephen, he had control of her more than than £80 million (R1.4 billion) fortune, leaving under £1 000 in her bank account. – The Irish Sun