Mel B's ex strongly denies 'years of abuse'

Mel B's estranged husband is "vehemently" denying claims he physically and emotionally abused her for years.

Lawyers for Stephen Belafonte released a statement after the ex-Spice Girl was given a temporary restraining order.

She claims she was the victim of "multiple physical beatings" and that her ex threatened to destroy her career by releasing a sex tape.

Stephen Belafonte's legal team calls the claims "outrageous and unfounded".

They say: "When the degree to which Ms Brown has gone to create a false depiction of her marriage to Mr Belafonte is uncovered, real victims and survivors of domestic violence will be understandably offended, angry and upset."

What the court papers say...

In detailed court papers, the singer describes her ex as a "large, extremely aggressive, hostile and violent individual" who was "controlling, manipulative and abusive".

The singer, whose full name's Melanie Brown, says she believes the abuse was linked to her career success.

"When something good would happen for me, he would beat me down to let me know he was in charge."

She claims the violence started after she finished as runner-up on Dancing With The Stars in the US in 2007.

"He placed both of his hands around my neck and began choking me," she says. "He then slammed me down on to the hardwood floor."

The 41-year-old, who has three children, one with Stephen Belafonte, says she had red marks around her neck that had to be covered with make-up.

She also claims he punched her in the face and split her lip while she was working on Australia's version of the X Factor in 2012.

The talent show judge says he "flew into a rage" after he claimed she'd been flirting with Usher.

She says she told people on the show her swollen lip was down to an allergic reaction to shellfish.

Producers called for a doctor and she was given a steroid injection, putting her own health at risk, she claims in court papers.

She says she later had him banned from the set.

The singer also claims he assaulted her after she performed with the Spice Girls at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

She claims in court papers she was punched and had her face pushed down on the carpet, forcing her to get medical help.

After photos of her injuries came out in the media, she says he husband forced her to tweet that she'd hurt herself by running on high-heels.

Mel B also claims she took an entire of bottle of painkillers in 2014 because of the abuse while working on the X Factor in the UK.

She says she tried to call 999 but claims Stephen Belafonte locked her in a bedroom without a phone.

Stephen Belafonte's response...

After rumours of abuse came out in 2014, he told MailOnline: "You can only re-mix ten things, ten ways, so many times".

"Who accused me of it, did she accuse me of it, the police, the hospital, who accused me of it," he asked.

"I thought when you beat someone up the police or the hospital or the person you beat up says it."

Stephen Belafonte's lawyers insist all the claims are: "Nothing more than a smear campaign".

"It's a shame that Ms Brown elected not to proceed in a respectful and amicable fashion in this very private matter," they say.

"In due course, Mr Belafonte will be filing his response to the outrageous and unfounded allegations made by Ms Brown, allegations which he vehemently denies."

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