Mel B reveals she hadn’t bought a pint of milk in years and had on clue she could get shopping delivered as she ‘lost control of her finances while in relationship with Stephen Belafonte’

Mel B admitted she couldn’t buy her own milk and had no idea what Amazon was when she broke up her marriage to Stephen Belafonte.

When Spice Girl Melanie, 48, walked out on her marriage to Stephen in 2018, she had just £700 in her bank account with her legal bills amid her divorce battle set to escalate.

ohOver the years, Mel B has accused him of physical, emotional and financial abuse.He claims that he denies it.

After living with her mother in their bungalow in Leeds, Mel spent five years saving and this month moved to a converted farmhouse in West Yorkshire.

But she has had to relearn day-to-day skills, such as managing her own finances and budgeting for a weekly shop, as she claims she lost control of those matters while in her relationship with Stephen.

When Spice Girl Melanie, 48, walked out on her marriage to Stephen in 2018, she had just £700 in her bank account with her legal bills amid her escalating divorce battle (Mel and Stephen pictured in 2016) .

She told The Sun: ‘I would say to people: “Do you know there’s a service called Amazon that delivers to your door?” And they would say, “Of course!” But I didn’t have access to a credit card during my relationship and I worked 24/7.

The pop star admitted she hadn’t gone to buy a liter of milk in California for years, but once back in Britain she did it all on her own.

She said she went shopping during lockdown and queued outside the supermarket with her mask firmly on and no one would recognize her.

The media personality learned to budget for herself once again and spent the money she had more wisely, saying she saw it as taking back her power after being in an abusive relationship.

Melanie explained: ‘In Los Angeles I hadn’t bought a liter of milk in years. But at home I bought in bulk at Costco and I really liked shopping at Lidl and Aldi.

‘Those were Covid times and I put on the mask and no one recognized me. For the first time in a long time I stood in line. Nobody blinked.

‘After being in an abusive relationship for years, you really have to rebuild yourself inside and out. No one can do that apart from you.

“Having to budget and knowing how much a packet of crisps costs again made me feel like I was reclaiming my power.”

Mel has had to relearn day-to-day skills, such as managing her own finances and budgeting for a weekly shop, as she claims she lost control of those matters while in her relationship (pictured from November last year ).

In addition to her work with the Spice Girls, Mel had lucrative jobs on American television shows such as the US version of Strictly Come Dancing – Dancing with the Stars – and was a judge on America’s Got Talent while living in Los Angeles.

He also appeared as a judge on The X Factor in the UK before returning home for good.

In 2021, Melanie appeared on The Masked Singer UK and eventually performed as Seahorse. She is a judge on the Australian version of the show and this year she returned as a judge on America’s Got Talent.

Mel went from having a loft apartment in Los Angeles to a 10-bedroom property in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Earlier this month, Mel revealed she had finally been able to buy a house with her own money for the first time, seven years after her messy divorce from ‘abusive’ film producer Stephen.

She took to Instagram to show off a set of house keys and share with her 1.5 million followers her long, hard journey to financial independence.

Mel wrote: ‘I’m so overwhelmed right now. Sitting here with my 3 dogs not being able to speak, but a few minutes ago something happened to me that is HUGE!!!

Mel B has emotionally revealed that she was finally able to buy a house with her own money for the first time, seven years after her messy divorce from ‘abusive’ ex Stephen Belafonte.

The former Spice Girl, 49, took to Instagram to show off a set of keys to her house and share with her 1.5 million followers her long, hard journey to financial independence.

Mel B revealed that it took her over five years to get to this point, as even after the Spice Girls reunion tour in 2019 she had nothing in her bank account due to divorce lawyer fees.

‘I want to share it with other survivors like me because all of YOU survivors will know how emotional this moment is. Five minutes ago, a man came to my door with a set of keys.

‘These are the keys to my new home. A house I bought with money I worked very hard to pay for. It took me more than 5 years to be able to do this.’

She continued: ‘In 2019, I had to return to Leeds with NOTHING in my bank account. Money from the Spice Girls tour went towards endless legal fees. [Stephen’s] and mine.

“Still exhausted by my ex’s incessant demands for more, more, more, I had to move into my mother’s bungalow, my kids/dogs/low self-esteem/failures/divorced.

‘From Wembley Stadium to my mother’s house. This is called FINANCIAL ABUSE and it is ugly, devastating and vile.

It’s hard not to fall apart. It is difficult to rebuild yourself inside and out. I have spent many, many broken nights, nights where I have had to turn to the lovely ladies at the Women’s Help Shelter in Leeds just to receive words of comfort from women who GET IT.

She wrote: ‘In 2019, I had to return to Leeds with NOTHING in my bank account. Money from the Spice Girls tour went towards endless legal fees. [Stephen’s] and mine’

‘I’m sharing this because it takes a LONG, LONG time to deal with the trauma when you’ve been left at ground zero financially and everything you had good about is gone.

‘A man’s mission was to destroy me mentally, spiritually and financially, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. I had to return to my roots, to my family in Leeds and, like my father, who cycled to work every day without missing a single day, I didn’t let that happen.

‘I worked, I believed, I spoke, I kept going, | I fell MANY times but I got up. I found people I could trust, that was difficult. I finally let people help me and found a lot of help from @womens_aid.

‘Right now, when these pieces of metal were placed in my hands, I want all the survivors to know that we CAN rise like the Phoenix.

She finished: “This will be my happy home, I’m thinking about my dad, I’m thinking about my kids, and I’m thinking about all those survivors out there: you CAN take your power back.” Trust and believe.

Mel B commented under the post: “I can’t stop crying ohhhh dear, I’m happy, honestly I am, but I’m overwhelmed with emotions I don’t have words for, the pain, the realization, the sacrifice, the understanding.” stopping without stopping.

Mel B commented under the post: “I can’t stop crying ohhhh darlings I’m happy I honestly am but I’m overwhelmed with emotions I have no words for.”

‘I am literally exhausted, I am standing not knowing whether to pray, forgive, be grateful for all of the above. I never thought things would hit me as hard as they have now.’

Mel B and American Stephen were married from 2007 to 2017 and share their 12-year-old daughter Madison.

Over the years, Mel B has accused him of physical, emotional and financial abuse, claims he denies.

Mel also claimed that her Spice Girls bandmates knew about the abuse and that she would not report domestic abuse because she does not know if she can “trust the police” in Britain.