New Women’s Aid patron Mel B pays an emotional visit to a domestic violence refuge in her home town of Leeds
The singer, who made three suicide attempts during her marriage, listened to the stories of other women during visit
Sharon Hendry
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MEL B paid an emotional visit to a domestic violence refuge and declared: “Real girl power is Women’s Aid power.”
The 43-year-old Spice Girl was launching her new high-profile role as a patron for the UK charity which supports women and children who have experienced abuse.
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She arrived at the secret secure location and listened to women’s shocking stories of violence for more than two hours before sharing her own experiences.
She told them: “My name is Melanie. I was in a horrific, abusive relationship for ten years and, for all that time, I was living a lie.
“I left two years ago last Christmas, but I’m terrified every day.
“Real girl power is what Women’s Aid does for me now. It’s Women’s Aid power. They give a safety zone where you can feel free to talk about everything, including mistakes.”
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The singer, who made three suicide attempts during her marriage, listened to the stories of other women during her visit on Friday to the refuge in her home town of Leeds.
Rochelle Siviter, 34, told Mel how she was beaten, manipulated and subjected to cruel sleep deprivation during her 18-month relationship with Monces Kaddouri, who died last year.
Rochelle said: “I thought there would be a party when he died, but it’s not as simple as that.
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“Our wounds take time to heal. My son suffers from extreme anxiety.”
Rochelle’s beatings at the hands of her partner left her hospitalised. While pregnant with their son, now eight, he continually made her vomit by force-feeding her food she detested.
The mum-of-one, who now educates schoolchildren on the perils of controlling relationships, added: “Domestic violence doesn’t care about money, fame or class. You can be in a council house, an LA mansion or working for a law firm like I was.
In her new autobiography Brutally Honest, Mel explains how the couple appeared to enjoy a millionaire lifestyle in Hollywood.
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They had a daughter Madison, seven, together. Mel also has two other daughters — 19-year-old Phoenix, from her marriage to Spice Girls backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar, and Angel, 11, from her relationship with comedian Eddie Murphy.
She says that behind closed doors Belafonte hit her, strangled her and made degrading sex tapes to blackmail her into staying with him.