Mel B’s ex-husband Stephen Belafonte is claiming the singer’s part in a domestic violence campaign has left their nine-year-old daughter ‘distraught’.
The US film producer has alleged that Madison ‘started crying and became upset’ when she saw images of her mother battered and bruised in the campaign for charity Women’s Aid.
According to legal documents seen by TMZ, Belafonte claims that the footage was so upsetting to Madison that she ‘doesn’t want to see her mum at all or to travel to be with her this summer’.
Belafonte and Mel, who were married between 2007 and 2017, are currently fighting for custody over their daughter.
Mel reportedly filed documents requesting that Madison be allowed to travel between America and the UK by herself through a Lufthansa program.
Belafonte responded to the filing by claiming Mel’s role in the charity video had impacted Madison, according to TMZ.
The court approved Mel’s plea for her youngest child to travel independently.
Mum-of-three Mel moved from Los Angeles to Leeds following her split with Belafonte to live with her mother Andrea, later claiming she had done so to escape an abusive relationship with Belafonte.
Belafonte has repeatedly denied allegations that he was abusive to the singer.
The Spice Girl was forced to abandon her efforts to move Madison to England to live with her because she couldn’t afford the spiralling attorney fees in her legal battle with Belafonte.
In her declaration to court, Mel said she believed it was in Madison’s best interests to reside with her and her sisters.
Mel is also mum to 14-year-old Angel by Eddie Murphy and 22-year-old Phoenix, 22, by ex partner Jimmy Gulzar.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain this week, Mel opened up about her reasons for taking part in the domestic violence campaign with Women’s Aid.
“As a woman that’s gone through it, it does crush your soul, it really does strip you… I’m going to be taking forever to get that back.
“I’ve had to build myself up. One of the good things for me is to speak to other women who have been in a similar situation.”
The video sees Mel being trapped in abusive relationship where she is beaten and bloodied by her partner.
Speaking to the Guardian on Monday, Mel said she is now very ‘happy’ in a new relationship with a ‘very, very kind’ new parter.
“More than anything we’re really god friends from way back,” she told the paper.
Mel declined to give any more details on the new romance as she said she now wants to keep her personal life ‘private.’
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