Daily Times

Mel B has told of her pride after starring in a harrowing short film to raise awareness of domestic violence.

The four-minute film – entitled Love Should Not Hurt – was made for the charity Women’s Aid in collaboration with composer and director Fabio D’Andrea.

It shows the Spice Girl, whose full name is Melanie Brown, as a woman trapped in a relationship which looks great on the outside but isn’t what it appears to be.

Behind closed doors, the man is seen shouting and assaulting her, shoving her and wrestling her to the floor. She eventually tries to flee and is seen running from her home bloodied and bruised.

The singer has previously accused her ex Stephen Belafonte of being physically and emotionally abusive, but he has denied the claims, with his legal team saying the allegations were “outrageous and unfounded”.

After the video was unveiled, Brown posted a message on her Instagram Stories telling of her pride in the finished product.

“So VERY, VERY proud of this,” she told her fans, saying it was “the most powerful raw video I’ve ever made”.

“This is what domestic violence and coercive abuse looks like underneath the fake smiles and controlling kisses,” she said.

“Traumatic, ugly and soul destroying.”

Brown said as a patron of Women’s Aid she has talked to other women about what has happened to them.

“It goes on behind closed doors everywhere – from council estates to country estates – with DV [domestic violence] incidents rising by 9% in lockdown,” she said. Urging fans to watch the video, the star said: “Women are being killed every week. “Women are suffering every day.”