DRESSED in her trademark leopard-print, bikini-clad Mel B donned a white veil and garter as she partied with her hen do revellers in the sizzling African sun.
The Spice Girl, 50, who will marry fiance Rory McPhee, 37, in London next month, flew to Tunisia with 36 of her nearest and dearest last weekend for what she called The Spicy Bride Tour.
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Daughter Phoenix, 26, Mel’s sister Danielle, her mum and future mother-in-law — plus friends including comedian Lou Sanders and charity workers from Women’s Aid — joined the singer to celebrate.
The group, who also fittingly wore leopard print for the occasion, stayed in a massive house in the town of Raf Raf, with free-for-all booze, food and dancing.
Scary Spice Mel will finally get the happy ever after she deserves when she and Rory say “I do” at St Paul’s Cathedral.
It gives a sturdy two-fingered salute to her two failed marriages and all the emotional, physical and financial turmoil that followed.
One insider revealed the hen group of 35 women and one man — her old friend, Ryan Lock — partied non stop during the four-day trip in honour of all that Mel has overcome.
‘Started a conga’
Our source explained: “It was an absolute riot from start to finish — Mel was on brilliant form and bursting with energy.
“They all stayed in a massive villa and spent most of the time hanging out doing yoga and meditating during the day, and then drinking and dancing til 4am.
“Tunisia is a very conservative country and it’s dry, so they couldn’t really get a drink in many places.
“They went next door to some apartments where they had a bar, but they would only serve MEN.
“Girl Power didn’t get them very far that day!”
Our source told how revellers at a local beach bar got the shock of their lives when Mel walked in with her gang, all wearing matching animal print swimsuits.
They said: “They ended up becoming quite the centre of attention. It was there that they did a hen do dance, which they’d all spent ages practicing.
“All the punters were taking pics and laughing. The bar recognised who they were with and played Spice Girls songs in Mel’s honour — 2 Become 1 and Wannabe.
“They started a conga and loads of the locals joined in.”
Mel also enjoyed paddle-boarding and jet skiing during the trip, which was organised by her sister Danielle and soon-to-be sister-in-law.
All the hens were given a Spicy Bride Tour T-shirt to wear.
Our source added that the only low point was the journey home.
They revealed: “They were supposed to fly back on Sunday night and land back in England at 8pm, but they didn’t leave Tunisia until midnight.
“They’d been in the airport since 2pm, so everyone was absolutely knackered.”
At least Mel has time to recharge her batteries before she becomes the blushing bride.
The ceremony is set to be a “regal” occasion and Mel has revealed all the Spice Girls will be involved, though it is not clear if they will attend.
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She has previously said Posh Spice Victoria Beckham was designing one of several dresses she plans to wear on her big day.
Mel and Rory will wed at St Paul’s Cathedral — a privilege earned by her MBE status. They are also planning a second, “sexy and informal” wedding abroad later down the line.
But the star — who is currently a judge on America’s Got Talent — has no intention of slowing down.
Next year marks three decades since the Spice Girls’ debut hit, Wannabe, was released.
And while some of her former bandmates have shown hesitation, Mel remains committed to reuniting all five on stage. In the meantime, she can revel in that sense of love and security she has always longed for.
Paying tribute to her husband-to-be, Mel has said: “Rory’s given me the ability to understand what honest, true love looks like and what trust looks like with boundaries.
I fell in love with a woman for five years. An experiment doesn’t last five years.
Mel B
“It’s very nurturing and very giving. We understand each other. I never thought I’d know how to love again.”
Rory is said to have a close relationship with Mel’s kids and it is understood her family and friends love him.
But the singer’s personal life has been a rollercoaster. Having found astronomical fame with the Spice Girls in the mid-Nineties, she fell for backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1998.
Things developed quickly and, within weeks, she was pregnant and he had proposed. They married that September. For a brief moment, Mel B lived blissfully as Mrs Mel G.
However, as quickly as it started, reports claimed the relationship was “stormy” and Mel filed for divorce in 2000.
In a subsequent, acrimonious battle, she won custody of their daughter Phoenix, and was reportedly forced to pay her ex £1.25million.
He was convicted of assaulting Mel’s sister, Danielle, but a court later overturned the ruling.
Whatever happened, the relationship seemed toxic: Mel later spoke of Jimmy’s anger issues, while he said he contemplated suicide amid the fallout from their failed marriage.
Soon after, the singer coupled up with British actor Max Beesley. They dated for two years in the early Noughties, before Mel shacked up with film producer Christine Crokos.
The pair were an item for five years, and even lived together in Los Angeles. It seems to have been one of Mel’s healthiest relationships to date.
Blind passion
Speaking in 2016, she reflected: “I fell in love with a woman for five years. An experiment doesn’t last five years.”
Unfortunately, the romances that followed weren’t so rosy. Shortly after splitting from Christine, Mel had a whirlwind romance with actor Eddie Murphy.
The pair were pictured looking very cosy on nights out in Hollywood and Mel described their connection as “poetry”.
But once she became pregnant, things took a turn and Eddie went on to question paternity. As Mel later explained, it hurt all the more as, according to her, they had planned to have a baby together.
A DNA test later confirmed he was in fact the father, but the damage was done. A bitter child support battle ensued, and Eddie was initially ordered to pay around £18,000 a month, which was later increased.
He rarely saw their daughter, Angel, but has since formed a better relationship with the now 18-year-old.
Mel later called Eddie the “great love” of her life, recognising that the pain he caused had left her vulnerable.
And then Stephen Belafonte entered the scene. The pair met in 2007, while she was still pregnant with Angel.
True to form, she and Stephen embarked on a whirlwind romance — secretly marrying in Las Vegas in June that year.
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Their daughter, Madison, was born in 2011. It is only in hindsight — after the marriage ended in 2016 — that we heard the extent of the turmoil she suffered.
After their divorce was finalised, Mel found herself in financial ruin, forced to pay her ex £3,600 a month in child support for Madison, who stayed living with him, and £260,000 in legal fees.
In the aftermath, she moved back to her mum’s home in Leeds, left with “nothing” in the wake of the split.
Emotionally and financially devastated, and suffering from PTSD, Mel found meaning and a purpose in seeking justice for others.
She started working passionately for Women’s Aid, and released her memoir, Brutally Honest, in 2018, which spoke about her “abusive relationship” with ex-husband Stephen. He has denied her claims.
Last year, Stephen fought back, suing Mel for £3.6million in damages and accusing her of a “malicious and vindictive global smear campaign”. The case continues.
Mel remains undeterred in her pursuit to seek justice for women — delivering on the “girl power” message that she first championed all those years ago.
She was rewarded for her efforts in 2022, when Prince William presented her with an MBE.
In the meantime, something unexpected happened — she reconnected with her old family friend Rory, a hairstylist, who she had known before she even joined the Spice Girls.
Friendship turned to love and the pair started dating in 2019. In 2022, he proposed with a £100,000 ring.
Unlike so many of her former romances — which happened in a whirlwind of toxic love and blind passion — this one was a slow-burner.
And that is how 2 Become 1 . . .
LOVE LIFE UPS AND DOWNS
MEL B has often spoken of her rollercoaster love life.
Here we look back at some of her old flames…
JIMMY GULZAR (1998-2000)
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MAX BEESLEY (2000-2002)
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CHRISTINE CROKOS (2002-2006)
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EDDIE MURPHY (2006)
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STEPHEN BELAFONTE (2007-2016)
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