14 DAY TRIAL // Former Scary Spice Melanie Brown has split from husband Stephen Belafonte after three years together, with Belafonte himself confirming the news for The Sun.
Rumors that the two had come to the conclusion to go their separate ways started to circulate a few days ago, which, as expected, prompted media representatives to try and contact either star for a statement.
While Mel B remains mum on the topic, Belafonte told The Sun in very little words that, indeed, his and Melanie’s marriage has come to an end. However, he remains vague about the reasons.
“Film producer Stephen Belafonte, 35, insisted: ‘It’s over.’ He said she was moving back alone to Britain from the US, adding: ‘There’s problems. I don’t know what’s happening’,” the British tab writes.
Ongoing reports suggest that the marriage may have imploded because of the so-called reality television curse, and that problems started to appear because of pressure while shooting Mel’s series.
However, friends of the couple are adamant there is absolutely nothing wrong with the couple, saying for the same tabloid that reports to the contrary are bogus.
“Friends of pop star Mel B last night denied her husband’s claims that their marriage had collapsed,” The Sun writes.
Another spy says for the same publication that Belafonte saying this kind of things on record is no strange occurrence, since this is his way of getting Mel’s attention and trying to send her a message.
“A close pal of the 35-year-old ex-Spice Girl said both had been put under stress by fly-on-the-wall TV show The Mel B Project,” The Sun writes.
“Stephen can be a drama queen. There have been lots of rows, often fuelled by drink. But they’ll try and work things out,” the tipster explains.
As if to confirm the above, shortly after this story went to press, Mel and Stephen stepped out for dinner at celebrity hotspot Katsuya in LA last night, looking very much a non-divorcing couple as a few months ago.
This, in turn, begs the question – as several celebrity blogs and US glossies point out – of whether they didn’t put the story out there themselves just to generate publicity for Mel’s show, which is yet to see release.