“Scary Spice” Was secretly Married in Vegas to Stephen Belafonte While Paternity Battle Raged On

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today/AFP) 8/9/07 –Spice Girls singer Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown tied the knot in a secret Las Vegas wedding two months ago, marriage records in Nevada showed on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old British pop star, known as ‘Scary Spice,’ married boyfriend and music producer Stephen Belafonte, in a ceremony on June 6, according to the Clark Country public records office and confirmed by a statement.

While the wedding was two months ago, the news comes days after Eddie Murphy admitted being the father of Melanie Brown’s daughter Iris after a bitter paternity battle. Ex-boyfriend Murphy had initially denied fathering the child but last week the actor issued a statement acknowledging paternity and saying he had paid child support. Child support payments are often altered after a mother’s subsequent marriage, raising questions of

what Brown’s motives were in keeping the marriage hushed up, even if she had wanted a private ceremony.

While reports had the newlyweds only going our for a few months, Brown’s representative said “Regarding the marriage, Mel and Stephen have know each other for many years and were great friends first. Now they are deeply in love. The two are very happy together.”

Brown is divorced and has an eight year-old girl.

The Spice Girls, a British pop group that sold 50 million records worldwide in the 1990s, are reuniting for a world tour in December and January.