The former Spice Girl said she used alcohol to ‘numb my pain’ following divorce from husband Stephen Belafonte

Mel B has said she is entering rehab for alcohol and sex addiction.

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, the one-time Spice Girl, full name Melanie Brown, said the decision came in the wake of an “incredibly difficult” six months in which she worked on an autobiography. “It has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life,” she said.

The singer said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and shared a link on Twitter to a US government site explaining the condition. She said that the course of treatment she was receiving was “really helping me. I am fully aware I am at a crisis point.” She said she had been using alcohol to “numb my pain”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Stephen Belafonte and Mel B in 2016. Photograph: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Brown was married to film producer Stephan Belafonte from 2007 to 2017, having separated in 2016. Following their split, Brown took out a temporary restraining order against him, and accused him of physical, verbal and psychological abuse. A 2017 domestic violence trial was settled out of court; Brown has said that as well as the emotional difficulties of the split, she was “financially battered” by it.

The pair had one child – Brown’s third overall. She said she was entering rehab to become “a better version of myself for my kids, for my family and for all the people who have supported me in my life”.

There are rumours of a Spice Girls reunion for a 13-date concert series across the UK, though without Victoria Beckham, who continues to concentrate on her fashion career. Brown has also had a successful career outside of the girl group, most recently co-presenting America’s Got Talent and appearing in a Broadway production of Chicago.