Mel B lifts lid on her decades-long journey to find peace: 'I can feel my shoulders relax'

Mel B opens up about her years-long struggle before achieving peace in recent interview

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Published April 06, 2026
Mel B lifts lid on her decades-long journey to find peace: 'I can feel my shoulders relax'

Mel B has finally found peace after a long struggle, but what she was afraid of before achieving tranquillity has come to light.

For those unaware, the 50-year-old English singer, songwriter, television personality, and dancer has fought through difficult times. She stayed in an abusive marriage to Stephen Belafonte for 10 years, which only gave her financial distress; it left her with emotional strain and PTSD.

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In addition, she suffered family estrangement and went to a rehabilitation centre to achieve sobriety and heal trauma with several menopause symptoms.

While conversing with HELLO on her Yorkshire farm, Mel said her farm is her happy place, as it makes her feel like she is in a safe haven.

Expressing her feelings, the former Spice Girl said, "It's beautiful and peaceful here and the animals make me feel very calm. If I'm not feeling too good in myself or my head's spinning with thoughts and work, I will do a quick hike in my forest and come back like a new person. When I drive up here, I can actually feel my shoulders relax."

Talking about her love for menagerie, she shared, “My dad [Martin Brown] grew up with goats and chickens in Nevis, so it reminds me of his roots and my lovely grandmother.”

"They're proper country goats. They don't mind the weather, their pen’s always open and they are free to run around,” Mel quipped.

When it comes to helping her with animals, her kids, 27-year-old Phoenix, 19-year-old Angel, and 14-year-old Madison “often say that they're going to help me at night when they've had their dinner… and then they don’t."

It is pertinent to mention that Mel welcomed her three children with different partners. She shares Phoenix with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Angel with ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy, and Maddison with Belafonte.

The Holler songstress is currently married to a Leeds-based hairstylist and entrepreneur, Rory McPhee. The couple, who started dating in 2019, tied the knot on July 5, 2025.

Her first marriage was with Gulzar, which lasted from 1998 to 2000, while her second marriage to Belafonte was tumultuous and came to an end in 2017 after ten years.

Notably, after annulling her marriage to Belafonte, Mel B was in a high-profile relationship with Murphy for a year from 2006 to 2007.

Areeba Sheikh
Areeba Sheikh is a reporter specialising in trending topics, with a focus on music, entertainment culture, and viral moments. For the past two years she has been covering wide artists, releases, and digital conversations, blending storytelling with trend analysis to capture how online buzz, fandom, and pop culture shape global audience engagement.
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