Louis Walsh has opened up about his friend and fellow X Factor judge Mel B, saying she's doing "great" despite her divorce from Stephen Belafonte. Louis, who was speaking at the X Factor auditions for the new series, said that the former Spice Girl is still as feisty as ever, telling the Mirror: "She's not called Scary Spice for nothing."
The pop star's friends and family have rallied around her, including the X Factor family. Mel and Louis both worked on the show in 2014, while head honcho Simon Cowell works with Mel on The X Factor USA. "We've all been in touch with her," said Louis. "Everybody loves her because her life is an open book. There's no secrets with Mel. She tells it like it is and she's not perfect."
"She's not called Scary Spice for nothing," said Louis
During the interview, Louis, who is returning this year as a judge alongside Simon, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger, also said the next series will have "no gimmicks" and "no silly acts". Contestants will be encouraged to sing their own material and perform instruments for the first time. "This is a whole new series," said Louis. "It's going to be real. We're trying to make it honest. We're looking for artists, we're not looking for karaoke. The contestants are playing guitars and playing piano. We're looking for talent. The bar is much higher this year than it's ever been. We've had some crazy acts – not silly, brilliant."
Mel, 42, filed for divorce from ex-husband Stephen in March. Divorce papers filed in Los Angeles show the singer cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. The couple, who have a five-year-old daughter Madison together, were married for ten years.