MEL B BECOMES AN MBE
It’s only a matter of time before she’ll be Dame Scary
She’s been trailblazing Girl Power alongside her fellow Spice Girls since the ’90s, but over the past few years Mel B has really upped the ante with her dedication to supporting abused women and raising awareness against domestic violence. And last week, the singer saw her hard work recognised as she was awarded an MBE for her services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.
“This has taken so long to sink in because it means so much to me,” said the 46 year old, who claimed in her 2018 memoir Brutally Honest to have suffered years of physical, sexual and verbal abuse at the hands of her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, whom she divorced in 2017 after a decade – something he has strongly denied. “To go through such dark times and then to start coming into the light and speaking out for myself and other women has been, at times, incredibly painful but also unbelievably empowering. I feel I’m accepting this award on behalf of all women who have gone through – or are going through – abuse in all its shapes and forms. I’m so grateful not just to be a survivor but to have a platform to keep speaking out as Patron of Women’s Aid.”
Since opening up about her own experiences, Mel has worked extensively with Women’s Aid, meeting women who have suffered abuse at the hands of a partner and also raising money and awareness for the charity. Speaking last week, she said she was “incredibly proud” of herself, adding, “Receiving that letter telling me about the MBE … it was the first time I thought that I’d done something. Not as a Spice Girl, but as Melanie Brown – this working-class, mixed-race kid from Leeds who has always done her own thing, regardless.”
She also dedicated the honour to her late father Martin, who died from cancer in 2017, writing on an Insta post, “On his death bed I promised him I would leave my abusive marriage. He gave me that strength. He would be so proud.”
Naturally, Mel’s bandmates were first to congratulate her on the massive honour – which marks the second time a Spice Girl has picked up a title in the New Years Honours list (Victoria Beckham got an OBE in 2017 for her services to the fashion industry). Mel C told fans she was “incredibly proud of my Spice sister”, while Geri Horner called it a “fantastic achievement” and Emma Bunton added, “I’m so proud of you and everything you’re doing to raise awareness of domestic abuse.” As for Posh, she may have kept quiet, but we’re sure she just said her congratulations offline. Pretty sure, at least. ■
‘I’m incredibly proud – this means so much to me’