Mel B reveals women approach her ‘in tears at Aldi’ and open up about their experiences of domestic abuse as she takes part in a panel to mark the 50th anniversary of Women’s Aid
Spice Girl Mel B has revealed she no longer has fans shouting ‘Okay Scary’ at her in the street, but has women opening up to her in supermarkets about their experiences of domestic violence.
The singer has been campaigning on the issue for several years after filing for divorce from Hollywood film producer Stephen Belafonte in March 2017, following abuse allegations that he has repeatedly denied.
Mel has since been awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to charities and vulnerable women and became a Patron of Women’s Aid in 2018.
Speaking to mark the 50th anniversary of Women’s Aid on this year’s International Women’s Day on Friday, Mel revealed that women now always open up to her and she even gets stopped in supermarkets.
Mel confessed: ‘It used to be like, ‘Okay Scary’, now I get women literally coming up to me in tears and telling me their stories when I’m in Aldi or Sainsbury’s.
Mel B has revealed women approach her ‘in tears in Aldi’ and openly speak out about their experiences of domestic violence as she took part in a panel to mark the 50th anniversary of Women’s Aid in Mayfair on Friday
The singer has been campaigning on the issue for several years after filing for divorce from Hollywood film producer Stephen Belafonte in March 2017, following abuse allegations that he has repeatedly denied.
‘Now it’s more of a conversation. It’s not really the conversation you want to have, but I’m so glad I get to experience it and talk about it.’
Mel spoke on a panel alongside Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid, and Amanda Cupples, Airbnb’s Managing Director for Northern Europe.
Victoria Newton, editor of The Sun, hosted the event at a members club in London, and they discussed the importance of tackling domestic violence and creating safe spaces for survivors in the workplace.
Mel claimed her ex was banned from the set of America’s Got Talent by Simon Cowell while she was a judge on the show because she ‘acted nervous’ when he was there.
She said: ‘Work was the safest place I could ever be because I knew he couldn’t reach me at work because Simon Cowell banned him from appearing on set because he realized I was acting nervous or nervous then my then husband was nearby. wouldn’t be my authentic self.’
Mel said HR teams need to learn to look for signs of domestic violence to help others.
She told the panel that she would stay on set for another hour or two after they finished filming because she “didn’t want to go home” and if there was someone at work who could have “supported her every now and then,” I would have done that. I probably felt like I could have talked about it a lot sooner.”
Speaking about domestic violence, she said: ‘It just has to stop and it won’t stop unless we do something about it.’
Mel confessed: ‘It used to be like, ‘Okay Scary’, now I get women literally coming up to me in tears and telling me their stories when I’m in Aldi or Sainsbury’s.
Mel said HR teams need to learn to look for signs of domestic violence to help others
She said: ‘Work was the safest place I could ever be because I knew he couldn’t reach me at work because Simon Cowell banned him from appearing on set because he realized I was acting nervous or nervous then my then husband was nearby. wouldn’t be my authentic self
The star added that she thinks women don’t come forward to report abuse for fear of not being believed
The star added that she thinks women don’t come forward to report abuse for fear of not being believed.
She added: ‘I never thought of reporting anything that happened during my ten years of marriage because firstly I didn’t have any evidence because I never went to the doctor, I covered up all my bruises. ‘
When asked what it means to her to be a patron of Women’s Aid, Mel replied: ‘I still have to pinch myself.’
She continued, “Women are the strongest form of human being ever because we are resilient, but we are not as resilient if we are not believed, heard and supported.”
Mel described feeling “so at home” when she visited a shelter with Women’s Aid, adding that she received therapy there.
Farah said that as the charity enters its sixth decade, it wants to ‘create a society where domestic violence is not tolerated’.
She said: ‘It’s no longer society’s dirty little secret, it’s something that is talked about but it won’t be tolerated, it’s unacceptable and when people see it they break the barriers of what should be personal and private. ‘
Farah said employers can “raise awareness, change the culture, implement policies and training that normalizes the fact that domestic violence is not tolerated, that it can be talked about, and provide mechanisms for people to seek help.”
She added: ‘I never thought of reporting anything that happened during my ten years of marriage because firstly I didn’t have any evidence because I never went to the doctor, I covered up all my bruises’ (Mel and Stephen pictured in 2016)