Spice Girls star Mel B has revealed that this time time last year she could not afford to buy Christmas presents for her three children. "I’ve been through hell and back over the last few years," the 43-year-old said in an exclusive shoot and interview with HELLO! magazine. She admitted that she was so broke last Christmas that a close friend had to buy presents for her daughters Phoenix, 19, Angel, 11 and seven-year-old Madison.
MORE: Christmas shopping ideas from HELLO!
"Part of the reason I’m so thankful and joyful about Christmas this year was that last year, it was a very dark time for me," Mel tells HELLO! in the only photoshoot with her whole family at her home in Los Angeles following her messy divorce from her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte this summer.
Of the Spice Girls reforming and going on a UK tour next year she says: "We had no idea of what the response would be [to the tour] and we were calling each other the night before the tickets went on sale. Mel C and Emma were both really nervous as to whether people would buy the tickets. I’ve obviously got the biggest ego because I was saying: 'Of course they will,' and then they were sold out in a matter of minutes. We were all screaming down the phone and dancing about."
Mel B is looking forward to the best Christmas with her girls
Reflecting on her life now as a single mother to three girls, she says, "You deal with everything life throws at you, good and bad, fair and unfair, and you try to be as happy and positive as you can." She is now looking forward to Christmas and the future. "I honestly feel the universe is putting my world to rights," she tells HELLO! "This Christmas just feels so special. I don’t need a single gift because I feel that so many of my dreams have come true."
MORE: Mel B in sequins at HELLO!'s 30th birthday party
She also reveals how she hasn’t given up on finding love. "I refuse to shut down and keep people out of my life. I’m single – I’m not looking for a relationship, but I still believe in love. I still believe good things happen and the past few months have been proof of that."
For the full interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! magazine.
