Mel B Fighting With Estranged Husband To Keep Divorce Private

The saga of Mel B’s divorce from her estranged husband Stephen Belafonte continues as it is revealed the former couple are fighting over whether their bitter separation can be kept private - with Belafonte arguing it should be played out in public.

The couple have ended their 10-year marriage

The scrappy separation has so far included abuse allegations, cheating claims and money problems but now the 42-year-old singer wants to hold the rest of their divorce in private.

However, her former husband of ten years, also 42, is fighting to block the star's attempt to keep their divorce hearings private, accusing her of "unimaginable havoc and damage" to his reputation.

Stephen is reportedly infuriated after Mel blindsided him with damning divorce papers after the two had earlier agreed to reach a settlement before their split was made public.

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The former Spice Girl was granted a temporary restraining order against Belafonte after accusing him physically and emotional abuse throughout their 10 year marriage, as well as claiming he got their nanny pregnant.

In court papers filed in LA on Monday, Stephen claims Mel's attempt to ban the press from covering the upcoming trial is to prevent the full extent of his claims against her - including allegations that she was addicted to cocaine and booze - from being made public.

Former Spice Girl Mel filed for divorce from Stephen in March after having previously married backing dancer, Jimmy Gulzar in 1998.

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The Mirror has reported documents filed in LA state: "Respondent (Belafonte) has already suffered untold ‘undue embarrassment’ and ‘emotional harm’ and will continue to do so as a necessary result of Domestic Violence hearing.

"It is hypocritical for a public figure who has willingly ‘chosen to be in the limelight’ not only in her professional life but her personal life, to turn around now at this juncture of the case and seek a veil of secrecy that the general public is otherwise not afforded, particularly when she put the domestic violence allegations at the issue in this case."