Spice Girl Mel B has been awarded a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, after explosive allegations of domestic violence and other shocking behaviour.
The America's Got Talent judge married the film producer in 2007 and the couple welcomed baby daughter Madison in 2011.
According to the LA Times Mel B, whose full name is Melanie Brown, says Belafonte has choked and punched her, forced her to lie about injuries, impregnated their nanny, hounded her to engage in threesomes with other women, and secretly recorded sex tapes which he threatened to release to destroy her career.
The singer filed for divorce from Belafonte, whose real name is Stephen Stansbury, on March 23.
She also says Belafonte showed little sympathy as her father Martin died from cancer, even hiding her passport so she couldn't travel to be by his side.
"Suck it up. If he's going to die, he's going to die," Belafonte allegedly told Brown.
Belafonte has denied the allegations.
"I think someone's set me up to look like a bad guy," he told media.
"I'm shocked at those allegations and that's what it is."
It's not the first time Belafonte has been in trouble with the law for violence-related allegations.
In 2001 he pleaded guilty to vandalism - a charge apparently reduced from assault against two men - and was sentenced to 24 months summary probation.
Two years later, he entered a no-contest plea on a charge of domestic battery against his former wife and the mother of his first child. He was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation and 30 days in jail.
Brown says she tried to leave Belafonte "many times" during their marriage, which happened after a two-month whirlwind romance at a time in her life when she described herself as "vulnerable".
She said she didn't know until after they were married that Belafonte wasn't the son of entertainer Harry Belafonte, as he'd claimed to be.
Newshub.
