She may have been dubbed “Scary Spice,” but songstress Mel B is actually quite the maternal type. The original Spice Girl member, 47, is the mother of three daughters, who she loves dearly.
Her girls Phoenix, 23, Angel, 15, and Madison, 11, range in age and each have a different dad, so the star’s experience raising each one was quite unique. While her eldest is starting to follow in her mom’s celeb footsteps, her younger two are still in the midst of growing up.
The “I Want You Back” singer emphasized how unique each daughter is while talking about parenting with People in 2017. “There’s no advice that I could give,” she said. “Every mother, every parent is different. The number one rule is you show your kid lots of love and respect, and you treat your kid how you want them to treat other people.”
Want to learn more about Mel B and her girls? Find out all the facts right here.
Phoenix Chi Gulzar
Mel B’s eldest daughter is Phoenix Chi Gulzar, born Feb. 19, 1999. The “Tell Me” singer met Phoenix’s dad Jimmy Gulzar while he was dancing on the Spiceworld Tour and they were married in Sep. 1998. The marriage was short-lived, however. Mel filed for divorce in 2000 and things were finalized a year later.
This meant, for much of her life, the America’s Got Talent judge raised Phoenix on her own. Reflecting on raising her eldest, the pop star told People in 2017, “I was a single parent for a long time with Phoenix, so I kind of learned that way, and moms always know best.”
Phoenix has proved to be the spitting image of her mom. In late Dec. 2022, she recreated some of the pop star’s iconic looks for her own social media, as seen on Instagram. The beauty rocked a tiny animal print look like from the 1996 “Say You’ll Be There” music video, in addition to the gold look from the cover of the band’s debut, Spice, and a tie-dye-inspired outfit which looked like mom’s ensemble from the “Spice Up Your Life” cover.
Phoenix is also following mom into the entertainment world. Her first on-camera experience was appearing in her mom’s “Lullaby” in 2001. She would later appear on the British reality show Born Famous (2019,) reported by Metro. She made her grown-up debut on screen in May 2022, appearing on the ITV athletic challenge series The Games.
Angel Iris Murphy Brown
Mel’s second daughter Angel was born April 3, 2007. At the time of her conception, the singer had been linked to comic Eddie Murphy, but he was quick to distance himself from the situation.
“I don’t know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test,” he told a reporter at the time, according to CNN. “You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, sir.” A court-ordered DNA test confirmed Eddie was the father on Jun. 22, 2007. He admitted paternity and reached a $7 million settlement with his ex.
Mel later talked about why raising children with Eddie wouldn’t work. In a 2007 tell-all with Essence, she said, there were “lifestyle changes” the comic needed to make to be a proper father.
“I have a house where it’s about my kids and me,” she explained. “I don’t have people knocking on my door at 3 and 4 in the morning. I have a very simple life—I don’t have a ton of people looking after my kids—I’m a very regular person when it comes to that because I want my kids to have a normal life as much as possible.”
The now-teenager sometimes appears on her mom’s social media. In a 2021 interview, her mom called her middle child “pretty academic” with “no problems” in school.
Madison Brown Belafonte
During her drama with Eddie, Mel began dating film producer Stephen Belafonte. They were first linked in Feb. 2007 and then married five months later in a quickie Las Vegas ceremony. The couple would welcome daughter Madison Brown Belafonte on Sep. 1, 2001.
At the time, Mel gushed about her connection with Stephen and how parenting with him was so different that her past experiences. “I had a rocky marriage with Phoenix’s dad,” she told Hello! in 2011. “The relationship with Angel’s dad was over halfway through the pregnancy, and I had to suck it up and get on with it. This time I’ve done it with my partner – someone to get excited by every scan – and it feels like I’ve finally done it right.”
Their bliss didn’t last forever, however. Mel and Stephen separated in Dec. 2016 and by Mar. 2017, she filed for divorce. The process would be messy, as the star accused her ex of emotional and physical abuse. He complained about the strain of their financial situation, with a representative revealing how the couple’s “extravagant and affluent” lifestyle “wiped out” all of Mel’s “Spice Girls money, approximately $50 million, if not more”. The divorce was finalized on Dec. 15, 2017.
The pair continued to co-parent, but when the COVID pandemic hit in 2021, it became difficult for Mel to see her youngest. Lamenting the situation to OK! Magazine in 2021, she said, “I’ve been a single parent for a long time, as I’ve always been the one who financially and emotionally supported my family.”
“Unfortunately, due to the justice system, a difficult situation with my ex, and the fact that my youngest is an American citizen, I have shared care of Madison – and because of Covid, flying between America and the UK has been really difficult. Not having my baby with me for months at a time is the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with.”