EXCLUSIVE: 'I used to work out to escape my abusive ex... now I'm doing it for me after gaining a stone:' Mel B poses in a stunning lingerie shoot with her mother and daughter as she details her fitness journey
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Mel B looks nothing short of sensational in a sizzling new lingerie shoot for a body confidence campaign alongside her mum Andrea and daughter Phoenix.
The Spice Girl, 48, flashes her abs while modelling a series of colourful undergarments for Pour Moi's summer collections in unedited images.
But her incredible figure didn't come without hard work, especially since she gained a stone from eating 'constantly' during the coronavirus lockdowns, she reveals.
And while she enjoys getting a sweat on in her home gym, the singer admits she previously used exercise as a means to escape her abusive ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, 48, during their 10 year marriage - claims he denies.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the singer tells how she used her latest project to reclaim her body, her freedom, and her family after being forced away from many of her loved ones for a decade.
![Hot stuff: 'I used to work out to escape my abusive ex... but now I'm doing it for me after gaining a stone from eating constantly,' says Mel B as she bares her abs in a new lingerie shoot](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/31/07/71285119-12111837-Hot_stuff_I_used_to_work_out_to_escape_my_abusive_ex_but_now_I_m-m-6_1685513814460.jpg)
Hot stuff: 'I used to work out to escape my abusive ex... but now I'm doing it for me after gaining a stone from eating constantly,' says Mel B as she bares her abs in a new lingerie shoot
![Out of this world: Mel looks nothing short of sensational in the sizzling images alongside her mum Andrea and daughter Phoenix](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/31/07/71285115-12111837-Out_of_this_world_Mel_looks_nothing_short_of_sensational_in_the_-m-9_1685513856648.jpg)
Out of this world: Mel looks nothing short of sensational in the sizzling images alongside her mum Andrea and daughter Phoenix
'During Covid, I put on quite a lot of weight on,' she confesses. 'About a stone. I was at home a lot just eating constantly and I'd felt comfortable because I wasn't going out. So I decided at the start of this year that I would just get back to myself.
'But even when the Spice Girls started, before I got married, I was constantly either going to the gym or eating healthily or doing some juicing. I was really kind of active with taking care of my body and my mind and was getting into a lot of meditation.
'So, this time around I just literally put myself back there and gave myself some fair but kind of regimented guidelines.
'Once the lockdown lifted, one of the things I realised is how much my day in, day out was just based around the kitchen and the fridge so I changed that and I had to change that.
'I wanted to feel like I had more energy and I think no matter what body shape I've had, I've always been confident. But I think I've never been this confident both inside and out, because I really did look up the foods that were making me feel bloated or break out in rashes, whether it be eczema or pimples.'
Mel was adamant that the images were not to be digitally altered, having seen many of her celebrity peers look unrecognisable on magazine covers and social media.
She insists, 'Well, I'm kind of old school and back in the day when we did photoshoots for the Spice Girls, we were adamant not to get anything retouched.
'And back then it wasn't a thing to do anyway. Whereas I've found more, especially over the last five to 10 years, people don't even look the same when you see them, whether it be their social media or their photo shoots that they do, whether it be front covers of magazines, they look completely different.
![Fruits of her labour: But her incredible figure didn't come without hard work, especially since she gained a stone from eating 'constantly' during the coronavirus lockdowns, she reveals](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/31/07/71285117-12111837-Fruits_of_her_labour_But_her_incredible_figure_didn_t_come_witho-m-8_1685513845690.jpg)
Fruits of her labour: But her incredible figure didn't come without hard work, especially since she gained a stone from eating 'constantly' during the coronavirus lockdowns, she reveals
![Honest: And while she enjoys getting a sweat on in her home gym, the singer admits she previously used exercise as a means to escape her abusive ex-husband Stephen Belafonte](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/31/07/71285113-12111837-Honest_And_while_she_enjoys_getting_a_sweat_on_in_her_home_gym_t-m-7_1685513833937.jpg)
Honest: And while she enjoys getting a sweat on in her home gym, the singer admits she previously used exercise as a means to escape her abusive ex-husband Stephen Belafonte
![Looking great! In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the singer tells how she used her latest project to reclaim her body, her freedom, and her family](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/25/11/71285111-12111837-Looking_great_In_an_exclusive_interview_with_MailOnline_the_sing-a-18_1685010299490.jpg)
Looking great! In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the singer tells how she used her latest project to reclaim her body, her freedom, and her family
![Heartbreaking: 'Working out to me in my marriage just wasn't really even about working out. It was about getting away from my then-husband for an hour'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/25/11/71285109-12111837-Heartbreaking_Working_out_to_me_in_my_marriage_just_wasn_t_reall-a-19_1685010302033.jpg)
Heartbreaking: 'Working out to me in my marriage just wasn't really even about working out. It was about getting away from my then-husband for an hour'
'I just don't really see what the point is. Because if you're doing a shoot being you, trying on whatever outfit that you think looks really, really good on you, then why retouch it? It's just giving a fake image. So I was adamant for no retouching to be happening.'
The Own Your Confidence campaign is dedicated to women celebrating women. Mel B and Pour Moi have join forces with the shared belief that everybody deserves to feel confident no matter what shape, size or skin tone they may be.
Earlier this year, Heidi Klum was notably hit by backlash after posing in lace lingerie alongside her daughter Leni, then 18, for Intimissimi.
Mel's former co-judge on America's Got Talent, 49, was branded 'weird' and 'gross' by some fans, who were left feeling uncomfortable by the shots.
But when asked about comparisons to her own family campaign, Mel says hers has a 'very different feeling' while highlighting that Phoenix is 24-years-old.
She explains, 'It's not about, "Oh, look at me and look at my body." It's about, "Oh wow, I feel amazing. I'm comfortable in my skin and this underwear and these swimsuits really make me feel like I want to celebrate my body and myself."'
She savours every second with her mother Andrea, who is in her 60s, after they heartbreakingly lost touch during her marriage to Stephen, which lasted from 2007 to 2017, along with her sister Danielle.
Discussing the ordeal, she elaborates: 'I had a really terrible 10 year abusive marriage and even during my marriage, when I'd go and work out, that was probably, apart from work, the only time I would actually leave the house.
'Working out to me in my marriage just wasn't really even about working out. It was about getting away from my then-husband for an hour.
![Exes: Mel and Stephen are pictured at the Maxim Hot 100 party in 2016](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/22/21/71285183-12111837-image-m-12_1684786663070.jpg)
Exes: Mel and Stephen are pictured at the Maxim Hot 100 party in 2016
'Most of the time, I wouldn't even work out. I'd just go to a class and just breathe for a second. So definitely this time round it is more more about doing it for me.
'That's one of the reasons why it was so important to have my mum and to have my daughter there. Because it's like three different generations.'
Scary Spice goes on to reveal she, Andrea and Phoenix had been wearing incorrect bra sizes their entire lives, and that they only realised their error when measured professionally for the shoot.
She adds, 'The good thing about this brand is that it's about the fit and the comfort and to find out, you know, God knows how many years my mum's been wearing the wrong size bra, me, myself and also my daughter.
'So it was nice to kind of come together, celebrate each other's bodies, we've all got different body shapes, we all chose different swimsuits and underwear to wear that actually made us all feel comfortable and it was just like a celebration.
'I donated a lot of the proceeds to Women's Aid too,' the charity's patron concludes, 'because that was really, really important to me.'
Own your confidence with Pour Moi’s Summer Lingerie and Swimwear collections. To shop Mel's favourite confidence boosting pieces head to Pour Moi's website.
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