Mel B, Stephen Belafonte Divorce: Spice Girl Star Files For Divorce From Director Husband
Mel B has filed for divorce from her husband Stephen Belafonte. The divorce comes just a few months away before the couple could celebrate the tenth year of their marriage.
The former Spice Girls member, whose real name is Melanie Brown and earned the moniker "Scary Spice" during her time with the group, listed December 28 of last year as the date of their separation based on divorce papers that were obtained by People on Monday. Mel B also requested for joint physical and legal custody of their daughter together, five-year-old Madison Brown Belafonte, as well as dismissing the granting of spousal support.
Mel B has two other daughters from her previous relationship and marriage: nine-year-old Angel Iris Murphy Brown, her daughter with ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy; and 17-year-old Phoenix Chi Gulzar with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar. Belafonte also has one daughter with ex-girlfriend Nicole Contreras, 12-year-old Giselle Contreras Belafonte.
The couple secretly got hitched in June 2007 in Las Vegas after dating for five months. More than a year later, Mel B and Belafonte renewed their wedding vows in November 2008. All throughout the couple's decade-long romance, they were inundated with several domestic abuse allegations. The current "America's Got Talent" judge has vehemently denied the allegations thrown against her husband.
Meanwhile, Belafonte was recently spotted for the first time since the divorce filing. He was seen stepping out of the Serafina Sunset, a family restaurant that he partnered in with Mel B in Los Angeles last year. He was with a male companion and carried a takeaway from the restaurant, according to the Daily Mail.
The news of the divorce comes as a shock to many, as the couple had not shown any signs that a split was imminent. A few weeks ago, Mel B posted a photo on Instagram of herself kissing Belmonte on the cheek. The star captioned the pic alluding to their strong marriage despite being surrounded with numerous controversies.