Spice Girl Mel B dedicates her MBE to 'all the other women' facing domestic violence

Mel B has has said that she is dedicating her MBE to "all the other women" dealing with domestic violence.

The Spice Girl star collected the award from the Duke of Cambridge on Wednesday morning during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The 46-year-old was made an MBE for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.

Read more: Mel B visits dad's grave after receiving MBE

The singer, who was beaming throughout the ceremony, wore a red dress designed by fellow Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, which she paired with a headpiece and white heels.

The mother-of-three became a patron of the charity Women’s Aid in 2018 after leaving what she described as an abusive relationship with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, who she was married to from 2007-2017.

Speaking after collecting her award, she said the ceremony was "absolutely lovely" and spoke about how honoured she was to be representing other sufferers.

“I never thought I would be here getting this MBE for the work I’ve been doing," she told the PA news agency. “It’s amazing to have but it’s not just for me – it’s for all those other women.

Read more: Mel B 'disappointed' Victoria Beckham snubbed Spice Girls tour

“Especially because of COVID, there’s been such an epidemic of domestic violence, that’s been completely on the rise, and you know I’ve got an army of women behind me that need help and need to be heard.

“So I’m their voice because we’ve all been through exactly the same story, so I don’t take it as it’s my award because it’s our award because we’ve survived.”

When asked about what she and Prince William discussed, she said: “He commended me on all my work that I’ve been doing, and he goes, ‘I’m so sorry you went through such a horrible time’.

“He did say, ‘I can’t believe I’m giving you one of these – I’m delighted’, and I said, ‘Aw thank you’ and we had a giggle.”

Touching back on her troubled relationship, she added: “I’ve had a really amazing life so far and it was turned into something horrible for 10 years and I’ve made something worthy.”

She had claimed in her 2018 memoir Brutally Honest that she had been abused by her husband and revealed she was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Mel previously told The Sun: "Nearly five years on I still wake up in the early hours with terrifying fragments of sounds and images flitting into my brain. Things I’ve tried to block float to the surface - things that can still make me feel drenched in shame, sweat and fear."

Belafonte has repeatedly denied the allegations of domestic violence.

Mel also teased after the MBE event about what was on the horizon for the Spice Girls, whose other members are Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Horner.

She said: “There’s so much stuff but I don’t want to say anything until it’s actually happening and I don’t want to jinx myself and I always blurt everything out first, so I’m keeping quiet this time – revelling in this moment.”

Mel B also recently became one of four new tourism ambassadors for the Commonwealth territory Nevis, whose job is to "showcase the island’s tourism offerings from their own unique perspective".

The MBE ceremony was the first major investiture at Buckingham Palace, which is currently undergoing a 10-year £369m renovation project to update essential services, since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Watford Football Club manager Hodgson, 74, who was England boss during a four-year stint from 2012 to 2016, will also receive his honour at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

Read more: Mel B becomes UK tourism ambassador to Caribbean island of Nevis

Others collecting awards included radio presenter Simon Mayo and actress Ruth Wilson, with paralympians Chris Ryan and Thomas Young also honoured.

Watch: Mel B asks Victoria Beckham to dress her for MBE acceptance