Spice Girls star Mel B has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her campaign work supporting survivors of domestic abuse.
The Wannabe hitmaker – full name Melanie Brown – received the doctorate today (July 15) at a ceremony for Leeds Beckett University.
Secretly going back to school months ago, Mel, who studied in her home city after growing up in Hyde Park, Leeds, completed a course in trauma-informed care.
The 49-year-old has spoken at length in the past about her own experiences with abuse while married to Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2017.
Following the ceremony on Monday, Mel said about receiving the award: ‘Being awarded this honorary degree from Leeds Beckett University has been life-changing.
‘I didn’t just want to accept an award. I wanted to be accepted as a student at Leeds Beckett. Not only have I been awarded this degree, but I was also accepted as a student on the Trauma Informed Care course which has been a huge step for me in so many ways.’
She added that she is ‘proud to feel part of this university in [her] hometown’ and to have ‘worked alongside other students and received excellent guidance from the teaching staff.’
During her graduation ceremony today at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, Mel again spoke highly of her time at the university, hailing it ‘as massive an achievement as performing at Wembley Stadium with the Spice Girls.’
‘To understand yourself you have to understand the world around you. To understand what has happened to you, you need to understand the impact it has had. I wanted to understand. I wanted to learn. Leeds Beckett gave me that opportunity, that gift.’
She added that while she was ‘terrified’ initially to walk through the doors as a student, she has now passed her exams.
Proudly, she declared: ‘I want to thank everyone here. I stand in front of you as Melanie Brown, daughter of an immigrant, who has learnt to value British education in exactly the same way as her father. My degree certificate is going straight in a frame on my wall alongside my student pass.’
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Mel received her honorary doctorate during Leeds Beckett’s graduation week, where over 7,500 students and nearly 29,000 guests will attend ceremonies. Over 10,000 students will graduate from the university this summer.
Addressing her doctorate previously, the pop icon declared it ‘an incredible honour’.
‘Since leaving my marriage I’ve told friends and family I’d love to go to uni, but I don’t think people took it seriously,’ she said in a statement.
‘But this gave me an opportunity to actually do it.’
Leeds Beckett vice chancellor professor Peter Slee added: ‘I would like to congratulate Melanie Brown MBE on this honorary degree.
‘As a child of this city who reached the top of her industry, then used her platform to advocate for those who shared her hardships, Melanie is exactly the type of citizen we are here to champion.’
Sharing her amazing achievement with her 1.7million Instagram followers, Scary Spice admitted last week she has been through ‘so much’ in her own life, but was determined to learn more about trauma ‘on all levels’.
Having worked with charity Women’s Aid, the star said she’s spoken to ‘thousands of survivors’ and women who have experienced similar hardship, which made her want to ‘do more’.
She described the course as ‘so, so intense’ and ‘really tough’ as it forced her to relive her own trauma.
However, she finishes with a sense of pride, adding that ‘no one believed’ she could do it.
In the comments, fans and famous friends flocked to congratulate her.
Bear Grylls commented: ‘Wow well done YOU!! Huge achievement and it is following your heart which is beautiful 🙌’
‘Amazing 👏’, added Katie Piper, with Victoria Derbyshire echoing: ‘Amazing ! Well done you’.
Mel has been open about the struggles she faced after leaving her own abusive relationship seven years ago.
In March, she told the BBC about how she moved back from Los Angeles to Leeds and into her mum’s bungalow after leaving her ex.
‘I wasn’t just emotionally and physically abused, there was all the financial abuse, too.’
She added that, despite having sold 100million records worldwide with her fellow Spice Girls, she wasn’t as rich as she thought she was.
‘I didn’t realise that I didn’t have as much money as I thought I had. So I literally had to eat humble pie, live with my mum.’
In court during divorce proceedings, it was later said their ‘extravagant and affluent’ lifestyle had ‘wiped out’ the money she had made from the Spice Girls, which was estimated to be around £38.3million.
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Mel praised her return to Leeds for allowing her to find her feet again and, earlier this year, after working ‘bloody hard’ for more than five years, she’d been able to buy her own home.
‘I’ve been looking at houses on and off for the last couple of years, knowing I didn’t have the money to afford them,’ she shared.
‘But I just put my head down, worked and lived frugally and hence I’ve been able to buy my own house.’
Meanwhile, Mel’s ex-husband, Stephan, has repeatedly denied the claims against him made by the singer.
Domestic abuse helpline
If you are in immediate danger call 999. If you cannot talk, dial 55 and the operator will respond.
For emotional support, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Alternatively, for practical and emotional support, please contactWomen’s AidLiveChat10am – 6pm seven days a week.
You can also reach the National Centre for Domestic Violence on 0800 270 9070 or text NCDV to 60777.
For free and confidential advice and support for women in London affected by abuse, you can call Solace on 0808 802 5565 or email advice@solacewomensaid.org.
Male victims of domestic abuse can call 01823 334244 to speak to ManKind, an initiativeavailable for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers.
Alternatively, the Men's Advice Line can be reached at 0808 8010327, or emailed at info@mensadviceline.org.uk.
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