Mel B’s Brother-in-Law Dishes on Her Husband, Stephen Belafonte

Mel B and Stephen Belafonte grab coffee, but not together. Getty Images
Mel B and Stephen Belafonte grab coffee, but not together. Getty Images

After nearly a decade of marriage (“nearly” perhaps being the key word there), Mel B and Stephen Belafonte’s union seems to be collapsing — and Belafonte’s brother, Jeremiah Stansbury, thinks he knows why. According to Stansbury, who spilled it to the Sun, Mel B decided to ditch her other half after he punched her dog, flirted with their nanny, and insisted on buying a gun. “In America, keeping guns is normal, but I remember one of the maids telling me that Mel was confused about why he needs one. She seemed to be a bit nervous about it,” Stansbury revealed.

Perhaps the former Spice Girl had a reason to be nervous: Stansbury also reported that back in 2008 he saw his brother violently attack Mel B’s Labrador. “I saw him punch Lord in the ribs full force with all of his strength. The dog collapsed and had no breath and was crying. He was standing there laughing. It made me feel ill. This was in July 2008 and Mel was not there to intervene,” he recalled. And that wasn’t the first time Stansbury claims he saw Belafonte be cruel to animals. He added that when Belfante was only 13, he killed a duck in the street with a brick.

Melanie Brown and husband Stephen Belafonte arrive at the Maxim Hot 100 Party at the Hollywood Palladium on July 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
Mel B and husband Stephen Belafonte at the Maxim Hot 100 Party last summer. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Belafonte also allegedly had a wandering eye. “There was one time in 2008 that I saw [him and the nanny] sitting in the hot tub in the house together — she was in a purple bikini with a thong and he was wearing swimming shorts. It made me feel uncomfortable,” Stansbury reported. He had unique access to Mel B and Belafonte, as he worked as their chauffeur and lived with them in their Laurel Canyon house for over a year.

Whatever exactly went down between them, last week Mel B decided she’d had enough and filed divorce papers shortly before they celebrated a decade as husband and wife. There is speculation that the decision to officially begin divorce proceedings prior to their 10-year anniversary may save her from paying higher spousal support (but then again, she might have just been fed up). Last month, the Chicago star shared a pic commemorating their upcoming anniversary with a sweet pic. “Late night dinner with my baby boo @stephenthinks11 my everything,my life,my world,love you to the end and back #bitcheswishtheyhadthis,” she wrote.

It has been a rough go for the 41-year-old star, whose father passed away just a few weeks ago. She and her family laid him to rest in her hometown of Leeds on Friday. Mel B and her sister Danielle announced the sad news in a joint Instagram post, writing, “It is with great sadness after a 5yr battle to multiple myeloma cancer our loving father Martin Brown passed away age 63 peacefully yesterday. Both of us his children were by his side and would like to say thank you to St Gemma’s and all the doctors and nurses for there amazing care and support over the years.Please respect our privacy and let us as a united family grieve With love and respect.” This was significant because the two were allegedly on the outs for a long time, possibly because Danielle disliked Mel B’s husband.

Mel B and Belafonte share a 5-year-old daughter named Madison, though Mel has two older children — Phoenix, 18, and Angel, 9 — as well. Reports have surfaced that Mel B, Belafonte, and the kids have started attending family therapy in an effort to minimize the negative impact of the divorce.


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