Mel B visited father’s grave to tell him about MBE honour

Mel B recently paid a visit to her father’s grave to tell him about her MBE honour.

The Spice Girl was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) on Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours list for her services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.

The singer, who works with domestic violence charity Women’s Aid, visited her father’s grave in Leeds, England on Tuesday and told him about the honour.

“This was the moment I told my dad about my MBE,” she wrote besides a photo of her bending down in front of her father’s gravestone. “On his death bed I promised him I would leave my abusive marriage. He gave me that strength. He would be so proud, I’m overwhelmed honoured and grateful and as patron of @womens_aid I will NEVER stop this fight to #stopabuse #itsnotyourfault #silencenomore #womensupportwomen #speakup #youarenotalone #reclaimthesestreets #yourlifematters #togetherwearestronger.”

Martin Brown died in March 2017 following a battle with cancer. The same month, Mel filed for divorce from her husband Stephen Belafonte, accusing him of physical and emotional abuse. The producer has denied the allegations.

Speaking to The Sun about her MBE honour, the 46-year-old said, “I thought about all the women I’ve met over the past few years who have been through terrible situations, women who have died, women who are still suffering. This, for me, was all about them. It still is.

“(Learning of the honour) was the first time I thought that I’d done something. Not as a Spice Girl, but as Melanie Brown – this working class, mixed-race kid from Leeds who has always done her own thing, regardless. That made me feel incredibly proud of myself, of all women whove been through similar experiences and of all the people who have helped me along this path.”