Mel B confirms engagement and opens up on romantic proposal

Melanie Brown has confirmed her engagement. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Spice Girls star Melanie Brown has confirmed her engagement and shared the first details of the romantic proposal.

The singer – known as Mel B – was reported last week to have got engaged to Rory McPhee, her boyfriend of three years.

Now, during an appearance on Celebrity Gogglebox, Brown confirmed she’s due to tie the knot after hair stylist McPhee took her on a romantic getaway.

Speaking alongside Ruby Wax, she detailed how McPhee took her to Cliveden House in Berkshire to ask the big question.

Mel B speaks onstage in support of Women's Aid at The Savoy Theatre in London. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Mel B speaks onstage in support of Women’s Aid at The Savoy Theatre in London. (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

“He said, ‘I love you, you’re my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,'” Mel B told Wax.

“There were rose petals everywhere, a log fire, a hotel – which was Cliveden. It was very romantic. I love flowers.”

This will be Brown’s third marriage, having previously been wedded to Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 to 2000, and Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2017.

Read more: Mel B signs up for ‘Gogglebox’ in memory of her late dad

She has three daughters, Phoenix Chi, 23 from her marriage to Gulzar; Angel Iris, 15, from a relationship with actor Eddie Murphy; and 10-year-old Madison from her marriage to Belafonte.

Friends reported last week that McPhee helped her “learn to believe in love again” after her abusive marriage to Belafonte.

Belafonte and Brown married just six weeks into their relationship, with Belafonte wanting a Vegas wedding and Brown buying both wedding rings.

Mel B appears on <em>Good Morning Britain</em>. This will be her third marriage. (PA)” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/GHwZudOXiN6WUFmKoAczBw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA–/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2021-05/00a8f4c0-b6e9-11eb-bffb-fd84949c1fb6″/></p>
<p>Mel B appears on Good Morning Britain. This will be her third marriage. (PA)</p>
<p>She has since publicly accused him of physical and mental abuse during their relationship, which she says caused her to turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.</p>
<p>She has also spoken out about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the decade-long relationship.</p>
<p><strong>Read more: </strong><strong>Mel B dedicates her MBE to ‘all the other women’ facing domestic violence</strong></p>
<p>Following her split from Belafonte, Brown has become a patron for domestic violence charity Women’s Aid, and earlier this year was awarded an MBE for her services to the organisation.</p>
<p>Story continues</p>
<p>McPhee runs his own hairstyling business, and originates from Brown’s hometown of Leeds.</p>
<p>The pair had been friends for years, having met through family, before getting together in 2019 after Brown returned to the UK from Los Angeles.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH: Mel B will always carry ‘guilt and shame’ as a domestic abuse survivor</strong></p>