Mel B Finalises Divorce From Stephen Belafonte

Former Spice Girl Mel B has reportedly finalised her divorce from Stephen Belafonte after 10 years of marriage, the New York Daily News reports.

The past year has been filled with accusations and custody battles for the America's Got Talent judge. A quick refresher – Mel B, also known as Melanie Brown and Scary Spice, filed for divorce in March 2017 after the couple separated in December of last year. Over the course of the tumultuous separation, Brown accused Belafonte of both verbal and physical abuse as well as blackmail, for which she was granted a temporary restraining order.

"When I threatened to leave, [he] informed me he has videos of our sex life and other private moments. [He] would threaten that if I left, he would release the videos to the tabloids," she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. "I have lived the past decade in fear that [he] would release intimate videos of me that would embarrass me and damage my reputation and my career."

Belafonte denied the abuse claims, releasing his own statement published by E! News in April. "When the Court determines the truth, it will become clear that this entire charade was nothing more than a smear campaign intended to cover up Ms. Brown's own conduct during the marriage," the statement read.

Following this exchange, Belafonte accused Brown of drug and alcohol abuse when requesting stepparent vistation rights for Brown's middle daughter, whose biological father is Eddie Murphy. Mel B made it known on social media that the accusation was untrue. In a statement released in response to Belafonte's claims, she said that she had initially remained quiet for the sake of her children.

Battles of property and custody ensued, and after nine months of being separated, their divorce was finalised on December 15; however, the division of property is still being worked out. They will reportedly have joint custody of their 6-year-old daughter, and Brown has agreed to pay $200,000 (£150,000) of Belefonte's legal fees as well as $15,000 (£11,200) per month for the next three years in spousal support, reports the Daily News.

Upon leaving court, Belafonte shared a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. on Instagram with the caption, "In the immortal words of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Junior!!!!
FREE at LAST!!" He also made a charming comment on the proceedings to the Daily Mail, saying, "Today's a beautiful day, I'm just leaving court, you know what I've gotta tell ya, I'm the happiest guy in the world today."

Brown has not yet publicly commented on the divorce.