Mel B Talks Returning to America's Got Talent , Re-Releasing Her Memoir, and Reuniting with the Spice Girls

Sami Drasin/NBC

Warning: This article includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Here's one thing to look forward to in 2024: the return of America’s Got Talent. And along with it, one of our favorite Brits, Mel B. (Sorry, Simon Cowell.) The revamped rendition of the long-running NBC talent show, which will air on January 1 at 8 p.m. EST, ups the stakes with a spinoff format they're calling America's Got Talent: Fantasy League with former acts returning to the stage for the chance to win $250,000.

“I love being part of the AGT family,” Mel B (whose real name is Melanie Brown) tells Glamour of her highly-anticipated return. “I did seven years and then in 2019, I came back to the UK because Spice Girls was going on tour, and I never went back. I set up home here with my kids and put them in school in my hometown, Leeds. So when I got asked to be back, it just so happened I had a break in my crazy, hectic schedule. I was like, Oh my God, this is perfect timing.”

One of the biggest selling points? The show's new format, which will include 40 acts selected by voters. “These are the acts that everybody wants to see back," she says. "It’s quite a tricky situation for the people who are coming back because it is the elite of the elite. You're not performing alongside an act that is tongue-in-cheek, or a little bit on the goofy, ridiculous side. We as the four judges get to choose our own teams and battle it out with each other and we get to steal from each other's team along the way.”

Her return to AGT is just one of many projects Mel has going on in the new year. She's also re-releasing her best-selling 2018 memoir Brutally Honest, which will be extended to include additional chapters. The book gives an unfiltered look into her 10-year abusive relationship with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. [Belafonte previously denied abuse allegations to TMZ.]

“Nobody really knew the kind of life that I was dealing with when I would go home having worked all day on set for 10 hours or so on America’s Got Talent,” she says. “So it's nice to be honest and truthful and help people realize that that's the kind of thing that shouldn't be happening to you. You can rid the shame and rid the guilt and do something about it and get yourself to a safe place.”

As a result, she’s dedicated much of her time to raising awareness around domestic violence. She even received honors from the Royal Family for her work alongside Women's Aid, a national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children across England. “I got an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for my philanthropy and I was actually one of the last batches of people to receive it from the Queen before she passed," she says. "I'm really, really proud of that.”

For those unfamiliar with her work, she suggests picking up a copy. “When Prince William gave me my MBE, he was like, 'So this isn't for Spice Girls? It's all about your awareness for domestic abuse?' He wanted to have a full conversation with me. I was like, well, there's a line of people, but if you just want to buy my book, or I'll send you the new book coming out,” she says. “So that was really sweet, and Victoria [Beckham] dressed me and my mum for it.”

Ahead, Mel B talks to Glamour about her return to America's Got Talent and her upcoming mystery project with the Spice Girls.

Glamour: What can we expect from the new season of America's Got Talent: Fantasy League?

Mel B: Between us four judges, we all had to pick a straw out, so depending on how short or how long your draw was, you got to pick one of your teams first. That was really interesting. Simon got the shortest draw, so he was always the last to pick. And this year, which is funny, I'm actually sitting next to him. In all the seven years I've done it before, I've never sat next to him. But it's been really lovely to be back in L.A. and hanging out with Heidi [Klum] again. We've been having our girly sleepovers at her house where the boys are not invited. It’s been a really exciting time.

When you think about how your career has evolved since your original Spice Girl days, what are you most proud of?

I've actually got my book coming out called Brutally Honest. It's quite a dark topic, but I think it's a very relevant topic. There is such an epidemic of domestic violence and coercive control and abuse all over the world. I released it in 2018, but I've actually added about five or six more chapters to it. You can actually pre-order that right now on Amazon, and that comes out next year. I'm really excited about it. I've been working on that for most of the year, and obviously Spice Girls stuff. So it's been quite busy. I've been in Australia also because I’m one of the judges on Masked Singer over there, and I love Australia. I've lived there for four years in the past, so it was nice to go back and visit there and be working too.

You mentioned Victoria Beckham dressed you and your mom for your MBE ceremony. Are you and the Spice Girls still close?

Oh yeah! We're working on a big project, which will be announced pretty soon in the middle of next year. I can't say too much about it, but it's all five of us, which is really exciting.

What advice would you share with your daughters about confidence and self-image?

Don't get too swept up with the whole social media vibe, because a lot of those images are not that real. A lot of those images are retouched. I got brought up the same way that I'm bringing my kids up. You have to feel good about yourself. You have to love the skin that you're in. And if you don't like something about yourself, if you can't physically change it, you just have to learn to love it. You have to absolutely learn to love yourself. It's the classic saying, love yourself before anybody else could even begin to love you.

What has your fitness and wellness journey been like?

I took a real hard look at what I was doing work workout wise, because in my brain, I was working out back in the day to escape being in the house with my then abusive husband. So I had to really kind of redo in my brain, ‘Why am I working out now?’ I've got no reason to leave the house and get away from that kind of situation. I wanted to work out and make it something that was part of my every day. I do a lot of outdoor walking. I've got a portable ice bath that I fill up with water outside and put ice in it. I do that a lot. I try to do things that are manageable. So you do your stretching, you do your healthy eating, but if you want chocolate or if you want fish and chips or a burger, then you have it. But just make sure it's not every single day of the week.

Ice baths have been gaining popularity recently.

The thought behind it is that by putting yourself into a really stressful situation and controlling your breathing, you can send signals to your body to tell it that you're actually not in a stressful situation and you're okay. So you don't go into flight or fight mode. You can sit in an ice bath and breathe really calmly. Your body benefits so much, it makes your blood circulation healthier, lowers the risk for heart failure. It gets all your toxins out and it just gives you that vitality.

You've been one of my hair icons since I was a child. What are some of your favorite hair products?

My hair has gone through a whole roundabout 360, because way back in the day, I had a hairdresser in L.A. who damaged my hair so badly. I had to go back to my roots. Especially with lockdown, we weren't allowed to go to the hairdressers or get treatments or get it cut or styled or dyed. So I let my natural hair grow out with the products that I used as a kid. That got me thinking. Why don’t I just bring out my own range?

I actually managed to patent the words “Curl Power.” I'm working on a product right now that involves mangoes because my dad's from the West Indies in Nevis. They have 40 different types of mangoes and mango is so good for your hair. That should be out at some point next year. My hair was so severely damaged and was falling out. So now I've got my full head of hair back and it's been an interesting journey, but now I know exactly what to do with my hair because I've got three kids with curly hair. So I've come up with something that works on everything from your scalp, to the roots, right down to the ends. Watch out for that!

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Jamie Wilson is a New York–based beauty writer and editor. She previously held the title of beauty editor at Harper’s Bazaar writing both print and digital features, trend stories, celebrity interviews, and cover stories and has also written for Glamour, Vogue, and WWD. She can usually be found testing out new beauty products from her Brooklyn apartment, and spending quality time with her dog, Cleo. You can follow her on Instagram @justjamiemarie.

Originally Appeared on Glamour