Mel B was made to feel "fat , ugly and worthless" by her ex-husband

She told The Sun newspaper: "The difference is when someone you are married to, someone who is meant to love and respect and treasure you, someone you share a home and a life with, starts ripping you apart, then it is very, very different. He'd say, 'You look old', 'You look fat', 'God, you are ugly', 'Your arms are flabby' week in, week out.

"In a way, those comments are like rain. They seep right into you, they wash away self-confidence, your sense of self and, when you look in the mirror, you don't see a strong, happy woman - you see a reflection of what you're told, 'fat, ugly, old?.?.?.?worthless."

The Spice Girls singer - who has Phoenix, 24, with first husband Jimmy Gulzar, Angel, 16, with Eddie Murphy, and Madison, 12, with Stephen - is now engaged to hairdresser Rory McPhee and went on to explain that even though it has taken her "years" to learn to trust a man again, she now feels more confident than ever before.

She said: "It has taken me years but I feel more confident than ever now and I'm with a partner who tells me he loves me and tells me I'm beautiful every day.

"Being with a man who loves me, being with my family, having trusted loving friends, it all helps. I tell them they are beautiful."

Meanwhile, Mel believes society needs to shift focus on celebrating people for being "thin" and praise fitness instead.

She said: "I never talk about diets.

"I talk about health, fitness and strength. I grew up with my mum saying every Sunday night, 'The diet starts tomorrow'." None of them worked, which is why I've always been passionate about eating healthily, exercising and understanding your body - from the amount of sleep you need to the level of water you should drink.

"I've worked with incredible personal trainers in my life and have learnt massive amounts.

"We need to think less about being thin and more about being fit."