Leeds Spice Girl Mel B shares the horror of her domestic abuse hell as she calls for judicial reform

The Leeds-born star, patron of the Women’s Aid charity, spoke at a fringe event at the conference in Birmingham, calling for more to be done to support survivors of domestic abuse.

She told the event she was “probably the last person you would expect to find at a Tory party conference”.

“I am not here because I am Mel B, Scary Spice from the Spice Girls, I am here because I am Melanie Brown MBE,” she added.

She told the packed audience that she was in an abusive relationship for about 10 years but “kept it a complete secret”.

“I put on a smile for the cameras because that is my job and I know I am really good at it as well,” she said.

She said the abuse became worse “bit by bit”, leaving her without access to money or a support network, and gradually leading her to attempt suicide.

“I couldn’t pick up the phone to call my mum, my friends, I didn’t have access to anything, and you think, well, Spice Girls are all about girl power, but let me tell you, when these abusers get their hooks into you, there is no way out, really – so you think,” she said.

It was only after the death of her father that she said she found the strength to leave the relationship, after seven previous attempts.

She called on the Government to do more to raise awareness of the needs of survivors of domestic abuse, including better support through the health service and the court system.

She emphasised that women from all walks of life can experience abuse, telling the event: “Domestic abuse is everywhere in society. You can be from a council estate, which I am, or you can be from a country estate – which I am now.”