Dancing her way to happiness with her new husband, Mel B has everything she ‘really, really wants’ and is full of good advice on living your best life. Back in the hot seat this week, alongside Simon Cowell, she is judging her eighth season of America’s Got Talent for US network NBC.
Settled on a £2 million Yorkshire farm with celebrity hairstylist Rory McPhee, 38, who she married in July 2025, she says of finding true love: “Oh my God it is everything.”
Now 51, the mum-of-three is less Scary Spice and more ‘Sensible Spice’, as her focus has turned to finding inner peace and physical and mental well-being. But her idea of wellness comes with a bit of added Spice Girl sass – as she recommends dancing as a cure all solution for everything.
View 6 ImagesMel has turned her focus to finding inner peace, as well as her physical and mental well-being(Image: Getty Images for SXSW London)
Known for turning her home into an impromptu disco, she says: “We [she and Rory] dance around the sitting room and our dogs must look at us thinking, ‘What is going on there?’ Dance is a constant in my life. I say ‘dance like no-one is watching and if you have that mentality then brilliant.’
“What do I listen to when I am working out? It can be Skunk Anansie or quite screechy. It can be old school r’n’b. I mean, I am stuck in the 90s. And oh my God, Misteeq are back … I love them!”
Dance also helped Mel to cope, during her unhappy marriage to film producer Stephen Belafonte, 51, which ended in 2017.
Saying it enabled her to “articulate” what she was going through, she adds: “Trauma always stays in your body. It is an ongoing journey. You can tango what you have lived, seen or felt.”
Claiming she has learned to love herself more since that marriage ended, she continues: “To be able to look in the mirror and say ‘Today, I am not going to be down on myself. I am going to play my favourite music or song.’ It is all about feeling good in your skin.”
View 6 ImagesDance is a constant in the former Spice Girl’s life(Image: Getty Images for ZUMBA)
First taking dance classes when she was seven, Mel studied at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. And, aged 16, she worked as a dancer in Blackpool, saying: “I think it is very important to move. We sit down to work, watch TV and eat, and any kind of movement makes you feel so much better.”
Dance inevitably played a pivotal role in her wedding to Rory … starting with her hen party. Laughing, she says: “I had 33 women on my hen do. We all did this dance together and it was just so much fun.
“I had a lawyer, a journalist, a zumba dance teacher, a yoga teacher and a therapist. All these women are still in my life. They are really dear friends of mine and we all just had a blast together.
“Some people were crying and some were really tipsy. We all had a lot of fun and that is because we were learning.
“I made them all learn these dance steps and I judged them, but in a nice way. All the women took it seriously and started competing against each other. I was like, ‘This is meant to be a nice thing!'”
View 6 ImagesMel and Rory married on 5 July 2025 at St Paul’s Cathedral
Mel and Rory had a ‘second wedding’ in Marakesh, Morocco, after first marrying in the crypt at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.
Recalling the week-long celebration, she says: “My husband does interpretive dance. On our second wedding in Morocco, you are meant to have a choreographed dance. But we danced to I Will Die For You by Prince. And people must have thought we were a bit nuts, as we just jumped and did this improvisation. People were like, ‘Are they OK?'”
Perfectly adjusted to country life, Mel is also a supporter of tree hugging. She talks to her chickens and enjoys ice baths. And, she tells fans at London’s SXSW Festival, she has a unique take on lifting weights.
Recalling recent keep fit advice, she says: “You are meant to do more weightlifting. It is daunting, but I can lift one of my Rottweilers!”
Keen to keep costs down when staying in shape, she says: “I can find ways that are doable that are not going to cost me that much. I can go to a park and to a run. I love speed walking. It is hilarious but I love it.”
View 6 ImagesThe couple now enjoy a quieter life together in the country(Image: Instagram)
More measured in mid-life, these days Mel says she likes to set herself achievable mini goals.
Mum to Phoenix Chi, 27, Angel, 19, and Madison, 15, she explains: “I used to be an all or nothing person, but I have now found a happy medium balance, where it’s doable – instead of doing six spin classes a week, that is not sustainable. You have to treat your body kindly and set realistic goals.
“Like my friend went into an ice bath yesterday and he did 28 seconds. I said, ‘Next time try and do 30 seconds and you will be surprised. Your brain will want to do 34 seconds.'”
As part of her new more ‘Chilled Spice’ persona, Mel has also taken to burning sage wood sticks, to create a peaceful aroma. But her description of the calming practice is slightly scary, as she says: “I am a pyromaniac. I do burn wood sticks all the time and at home.
“It is like an old ritual for anyone wanting vibes and energies. Even if it does not work I believe it does work as my house is full of life. It is a love-hate smell.”
View 6 ImagesMel shared details of her favourite hobbies and pasttimes(Image: WireImage)
Effervescent and endlessly energetic, it is hard to believe that Mel’s favourite pastime, however, is doing absolutely nothing. She says: “I just love doing nothing. I love sitting by myself and being in my own company.
“You need that quiet time to just breathe and reflect and daydream. It gives your brain a chance to catch up. It allows you to flush out the brain. The brain needs time to just be still.
Article continues below
“Kids get called out for day dreaming at school and I think it is brilliant. They should have a day dreaming class, where they should just sit there and stare into space.”
Despite having a hectic life that’s seen her achieve 9 number one singles with the Spice Girls, a solo number one and now sees her working as a TV judge, author and advocate for abuse survivors, she says: “I think it is healthy to do nothing.”