Spice Girl Mel B has opened up about being estranged from her mother Andrea Brown, for eight years.
Speaking this morning on ITV’s Lorraine, the former X Factor judge appeared alongside her mum Andrea, and her eldest daughter Phoenix Chi Gulzar.
The family spoke candidly about being estranged from one another for eight years.
“I was in a marriage, not a very nice marriage, and I got isolated,” said Mel B.
“Not only just from my mum, but from my sister and all my old school friends in Leeds. It kind of separated, actually, it tore our family apart.”
Mel B was married to film producer Stephen Belafonte for 10 years before she filed for divorce in March 2017 citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
Speaking to Lorraine, Mel said it wasn’t until her divorce after her father died that she was able to reconcile with her mother and sister.
“It wasn’t until me and Phoenix started talking and obviously I got divorced, that it was time that we kind of got the family got back together.”
“For me it was when my dad died. I just thought you know what? I can’t be in this kind of marriage anymore. I’m just gonna get out and make sure we’re all safe and make sure that we can all start our healing process together”
Speaking on being estranged from her famous daughter, Andrea said: “It was just terrible.”
“My numbers kept changing all the time so she couldn’t even get hold of me,” added Mel.
Andrea now lives with her daughter and granddaughters in Leeds.
“It’s kinda nice because my mum’s there and she helps me with the cooking and the cleaning and all that kind of stuff, it reminds me of living back home when I was younger,” Mel said.
The family spoke about their admiration for each other on the show, with Andrea saying she’s really proud of what Mel has achieved.
“I look up to Melanie, for what she’s gone through and come out of, cos not many can speak about that.”
“But to do a book, and go to Downing Street and she’s an ambassador now.”
Earlier this year, as an ambassador for Women’s Aid, Mel B delivered a report to the then Prime Minister Teresa May on relationship abuse.
The report showed that two-thirds of domestic abuse survivors were exploited financially by their abuser.
The family may have found it hard to reconnect, but now they say they are each other’s support system.
“We always help each other, our system through talking and being honest. It hasn’t been an easy path to even just being open to talk about it with one another because there’s been a lot of guilt and a lot of anger between the three of us and my sister.”
