Mel B’s ex Stephen Belafonte will only get his hands on a fraction of her £48million fortune as he signed a prenuptial agreement
MEL B's estranged husband Stephen Belafonte will not be getting half of the Spice Girl's £48million fortune – because they signed a prenuptial agreement.
The prenup does mean the film producer could get £5million in any divorce settlement because he put his career on the back-burner to support Mel’s jet-setting TV work.
The couple also share a five-year-old daughter named Madison Brown Belafonte.
A source revealed to The Sun Online: “Mel is a canny Yorkshire lass and was advised to protect her assets and estate before the wedding.
“This wasn’t an act of preparing for the marriage to fail but was an act of a hard-nosed businesswoman who knew the pitfalls that can lie ahead in any relationship.”
Leeds-born Mel is worth a fortune thanks to her global success with the Spice Girls and has 15 number ones in the UK and US under her belt, as well as being a Broadway singing sensation and TV star in the UK, America and Australia.
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Solicitor Harold Walker – who deals with high-value break-ups – told The Sun Online: “Sadly, over one in three marriages end in divorce.
“And without a prenup the starting point for the court is that a partner is entitled to half the other’s wealth.
“Although a smaller amount might be argued for the process can take time, is expensive and immensely stressful.
“A prenup limits exposure to a small fraction of wealth but would have the advantage of agreeing a figure before the wedding rather than a dispute at the other end when emotions can often run high.”
The legal expert said Mel could still have to pay an additional figure on top if it can be successfully argued that Stephen has lost out on lucrative film producing work to support his wife.
He added: “A figure could be added to the prenup if it is shown that he has effectively turned down work to be at his wife’s side.
“I think a total of a £5 million settlement that includes the prenup and any additional lost work seems reasonable and certainly a lot less than half of £48million.”
The Sun Online has contacted representatives of Mel B for comment.
Mel B left fans shocked when she surprisingly filed for divorce from her producer partner after ten years of marriage.
The Sun Online has revealed that the singer has been urged to lift the lid on her stormy, sex-laden marriage.
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