The Spice Girl’s daughter Phoenix speaks out against her abusive ex step-dad
She had a fiercely acrimonious split from former husband Stephen Belafonte last year, amid allegations of domestic violence, financial exploitation and blackmail. But Mel B’s 10-year marriage turned even murkier last week, after her 19-year-old daughter Phoenix Chi Gulzar and mother Andrea Brown revealed what life was like under Stephen’s rule.
Speaking out for the first time since her mum married the LA producer in 2007, Phoenix described violent scenes including her bullying step-dad beating up her dog, keeping a gun in their house and vilifying her father, Jimmy Gulzar. Even worse, she describes how her mum was “terrified” of her ex and “believed every word he said”, leading the teenager to fend for herself, and her two younger siblings, Angel, 11, and Madison, seven, in the process.
“By then, I was nearly 10 years old and I’d woken up to the fact that life can just suddenly turn into a pile of crap,” Phoenix said last week.
“I’d had it so good for years. I had this amazing, funny, strong mother. I had this great family in Leeds, I had a dad who was my best friend…And then it was like someone just switched the channel to this total s**tstom show, The Stephen Show. He was like a kid – a bigger, sneakier kid.”
CHECK OUT times the Spice Girls were EVERYTHING
Six times the Spice Girls gave us life - slider
1 of 18When Geri wore THAT iconic dress
Geri's Union Jack dress has become synonymous with the Spice Girls and girl power in general. The dress came to be at the 1997 BRIT Awards because Geri didn't want to wear the black Gucci dress her stylist had given her...so she glued a Union Jack tea towel to the front of it. She later sold it at auction for £40,000.
2 of 18When they got the royal treatment
The Spice Girls never held back - even when meeting the monarchy. Mel C broke royal protocol by kissing Prince Charles on the cheek when she met him at a Prince's Trust concert in 1997. Meanwhile Geri went in for the kill with a pinch of the bum...
3 of 18AND when they got the royals fangirling
In the words of Regina George's mum 'I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom'. If this photo isn't proof that Fergie is the COOLEST mum, then we don't know what is. Princess Eugenie and Beatrice look beyond thrilled to meet their idols.
4 of 18When Nelson Mandela admitted to being their biggest fan
The political icon famously said, "These are my heroes. This is one of the greatest moments in my life", when he met the Spice Girls in November 1997.
5 of 18And Adele too for that matter...
When the Spice Girls announced their reunion tour, Adele posted a throwback on Instagram, captioned 'HA! This is how I feel right now! I AM READY'. We feel ya, Adele.
6 of 18When they made a film
Released in December 1997, Spiceworld: The Movie, is arguably the film of our generation. So it's no surprise that names such as Roger Moore, Stephen Fry, Elton John, Jennifer Saunders and Richard E. Grant all wanted to get involved.
7 of 18When they finally reunited
In 2008, the Spice Girls gave us EXACTLY what we'd been dreaming of since they split in 1998 - when they announced their reunion tour. The girls even brought their babies on stage. Verdict: definitely worth the wait.
8 of 18When they showed us the true meaning of "Sporty" Spice
The Spice Girls were undoubtedly the main event at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony in London. When they popped out of their black cabs, it's fair to say that it was the best surprise we've ever had.
9 of 18When they proved they were just like the rest of us
We didn't think it was possible to fall even more in love with the Spice Girls until we found out VB isn't so POSH after all - besides, who doesn't take part in a last minute TESCO dash at Christmas?
10 of 18When Mel B dressed as the Beckhams for Halloween 2018
Well, this one is a little awkward to say the least... but we can't help but laugh at Mel B's cheeky humour. Scary Spice dressed as Victoria Beckham for Halloween 2018. OUCH.
11 of 18When V.B showed HER funny side
We love Victoria Beckham - especially when she showed her hilarious sense of humour in this tongue-and-cheek video for VOGUE. Posh spice wasn't afraid to make fun out of herself. Watch the whole video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7uZPofdsOY
12 of 18AND when she showed her humour AND flexibility
Don't mind V.B, just adopting a casual pose whilst she reads through emails on her lush sofa... seriously Posh, you are one funny woman. We're already practicing the same leg-pose for when we eventually reply to work emails.
13 of 18When they decked out a London bus in the Union Jack flag
Come on... who wouldn't want to ride in the one and only spice girls tour bus!? We are OBSESSED. When can we hitch a lift?
14 of 18When Geri met Charles...
Who can forget when Geri met Prince Charles at the 1st anniversary concert for the Princes' Trust in 1997? Ginger spice certainly wasn't shy in THAT outfit - she enjoyed a cheeky flirt with the prince.
15 of 18And then Geri and Charles reunited 22 years later
A much more sophisticated meeting this time. The pair looked like good old friends catching up as they chatted all things spice at another Princes' Trust event over two decades later.
16 of 18When London's favourite girlband took on PARIS
Bonjour Paris. Spice girls are giving us all the feels in this adorable snap in front on the Eiffel tower during their 1998 world tour. Throwback Thursday goals.
17 of 18When Posh had that haircut... but the spice girls let her have her hair moment without judgement
When Posh had that infamous haircut, the spice girls let her get on with it without passing judgement. That's true friendship, surely?
18 of 18When four of the band announced a 2019 reunion... and Posh showed her support
When four of the band announced a 2019 reunion, Posh still showed her support. Victoria took to Instagram to support her former bandmates. She said, "Today marks a special day for the girls as they announce the first tour dates since we performed together in 2012! I won't be joining my girls on stage again but being in the Spice Girls was a hugely important part of my life and I wish them so much love and fun as they go back on tour next year. I know they will put on an amazing show and the fantastic fans past and present are going to have a wonderful time! "
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She continued, "He would start screaming about things like me leaving food, and go so ballistic it was as if I’d committed a crime. I couldn’t talk to my mum — someone else who looked like her was in her body. She believed every word he said. She loved him. Maybe I had to suck it up. I didn’t want to ruin it for her.”
Remembering the time she found a gun in their LA mansion – despite Stephen being prohibited from owning a firearm due to a previous domestic violence conviction – Phoenix described how telling her grandma about the discovery had lead her stepdad to cut Andrea out of their lives. She added, “Every time I saw my dad, there was a drama…I never really got to see my dad again for what seemed like forever.”
As if her revelations weren’t enough, Mel’s mum Andrea described events that led to her eight-year estrangement from her daughter and grandkids – during the majority of the marriage. She told how Stephen hit the roof when she voiced her concerns over his behaviour.
“His words were unbelievable. ‘You fing c*, you f**king trash whore…you will never see your grandchildren again.’” she revealed.
“I’d never felt that words could be like weapons before. So many of them hitting me like bullets…By the morning, all my emails had bounced back – the email address had been erased. We got a message from Melanie’s mobile: ‘This mobile number is no longer in use.’”
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At the same time that her oldest daughter and her mother spoke out in public, the Mel, 43, made her own harrowing admissions herself in an excerpt from her upcoming autobiography Brutally Honest, confessing to snorting six lines of cocaine while working as a judge on the X Factor in 2014, as a way to cope with the abuse she faced at home, and having threesomes (some of which she didn’t know were being filmed) to appease her controlling ex. She added that the reason she’d turned up to the finale covered in bruises was because, days earlier, she’d tried to take her own life.
Mel describes the moment she finally left her ex last year: “I walked away with nothing but suitcases full of clothes, books and toys,” she writes. “I didn’t care. I was happy. My kids were happy. Finally, after ten years, I was free.”
For his part, Stephen denied Mel’s claims of abuse when they first split in April 2017, with his lawyers calling it “nothing more than a smear campaign”. He hasn’t publicly commented on the most recent allegations.
Read more about Phoenix and Mel in this week's heat magazine__- out now.