EXC: ‘I used to work out to escape my abusive ex… but now I’m doing it for me,’ says Mel B

Mel B looks nothing short of sensational in a sizzling new lingerie shoot for a self-confidence campaign alongside her mother Andrea and daughter Phoenix.

The Spice Girl, 48, flashes her abs as she models a range of colorful undergarments for Pour Moi’s summer collections in raw images.

But her incredible figure didn’t come without hard work, especially since she got a stone from eating “constantly” during the coronavirus lockdowns, she reveals.

And while she enjoys working up a sweat in her home gym, the singer admits she previously used exercise as a means of escaping her abusive ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, 48, during their 10-year marriage – claims he denies.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the singer talks about how she used her latest project to reclaim her body, her freedom and her family after being snatched from many of her loved ones for a decade.

“During Covid I put on quite a bit of weight,” she confesses. ‘About a stone. I was home a lot, just eating and I felt comfortable because I didn’t go out. So I decided early this year that I would just get back to myself.

‘But eEven when the Spice Girls started, before I got married, I was constantly going to the gym or eating healthy or doing some juices. I was actually kind of active taking care of my body and my mind and started meditating a lot.

So this time I literally put myself back out there and gave myself some honest but kind of regulated guidelines.

“Once the lockdown was lifted I realized one of the things that my day in and day out just revolved around the kitchen and the fridge so I changed that and I had to change that.

“I wanted to feel like I had more energy and I think no matter what body shape I’ve had, I’ve always been confident. But I think I’ve never been more confident, both inside and out, because I really sought out the foods that made me feel bloated or bloated. breaking out in rashes, be it eczema or pimples.”

Mel was adamant that the images would not be digitally altered, after seeing many of her famous colleagues look unrecognizable on magazine covers and social media.

She insists, “Well, I’m a bit old-fashioned and back in the day when we did photoshoots for the Spice Girls, we were adamant not to have anything retouched.

And then there was nothing to do anyway. While I’ve found out more, especially in the last five to 10 years, people don’t even look the same when you see them, whether it’s their social media or their photo shoots that they do, whether it’s magazine covers, they look very different.

“I just don’t really see what the point is. Because if you’re doing a shoot where you’re yourself, whatever outfit fits that you think looks really, really good on you, why retouch it? It just gives a fake image. So I was adamant that there would be no retouching.”

The Own Your Confidence campaign is dedicated to women who celebrate women. Mel B and Pour Moi have joined forces with a shared belief that everyone deserves to feel confident, regardless of shape, size or skin color.

Earlier this year, Heidi Klum was particularly hit with backlash after she posed in lacy lingerie alongside her daughter Leni, then 18, for Intimissimi.

Mel’s former fellow America’s Got Talent judge, 49, was labeled “weird” and “gross” by some fans, who were uncomfortable with the taping.

But when asked about comparisons to her own family campaign, Mel says hers has a “whole different feel” while emphasizing that Phoenix is ​​24 years old.

She explains, “It’s not about, ‘Oh, look at me and look at my body.’ It’s about, “Oh wow, I feel great. I feel great in my own skin and these underwear and bathing suits really make me feel like I want to celebrate my body and myself.”

She enjoys every second with her mother Andrea, who is in her 60s, after they heartbreakingly lost contact during her marriage to Stephen, which lasted from 2007 to 2017, along with her sister Danielle.

She discusses the ordeal, explaining, “I had a really horrible 10-year marriage and even during my marriage, when I went to exercise, that was probably the only time I left home, besides work.

“Sports for me in my marriage was just not even about sports. It was about being away from my then-husband for an hour.

“Most of the time I didn’t even train. I would just go to a class and take a breather. So this time it’s definitely more about doing it for me.

“That’s one of the reasons it was so important to have my mom and my daughter there. Because it’s like three different generations.’

Scary Spice further reveals that she, Andrea, and Phoenix wore wrong bra sizes their entire lives and didn’t realize their mistake until they were professionally measured for the shoot.

She adds, “The good thing about this brand is it’s about the fit and comfort and to find out, you know, God knows how many years my mom has been wearing the wrong size bra, me, myself and my daughter too .

“So it was nice to get together, celebrate each other’s bodies, we all have different body shapes, we all chose different bathing suits and underwear to actually wear that made us all feel comfortable and it was like a party.

“I also donated a large portion of the proceeds to Women’s Aid,” concludes the charity’s patron, “because that was very important to me.”

Trust your confidence with Pour Moi’s summer lingerie and swimwear collections. Visit Pour Moi’s website to buy Mel’s favorite confidence.