Mel B has found love again after thinking it "would be impossible".
Mel B
The 45-year-old Spice Girls star - who divorced her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte in 2017 amidst allegations he was physically and emotionally abusive towards her during their relationship, claims which he has denied - revealed her new mystery partner is "different to anyone [she's] even been in a relationship before.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, she said: "I honestly thought being in a romantic relationship again would be impossible because you get overloaded with past experiences.
“Because I’m riddled with so many trauma triggers, I couldn’t be hugged or touched for a good year. If someone came too close to me my hairs would stand on end, even in regular, everyday life.
“But there is a way out of it. It takes somebody who’s very kind, understanding and patient to help you out of that unwanted cycle you fear going back into."
Although Mel - known as Scary Spice from her time in the chart-topping girl group - won't yet identify her new partner, she described him as "kind and very, very patient".
She added: "You can have a loving, caring relationship. It just takes a lot of time and a lot of trust.
“The person who enters into it with you has to understand how sensitive you are about your barriers.
"It’s really hard for a man, especially for a man who has never been abusive to a woman. An actual man who thinks, ‘How can a man do that to a woman?' "
Meanwhile, Mel singer has starred in a powerful music video highlighting the horror of domestic abuse.
The film - which accompanies composer Fabio D'Andrea's piece 'Love Should Not Hurt (A Flat Minor)' - features no words with the story being told through dance and music.
In a statement, Mel said: "This video is very real. Violence and abuse happens everywhere. And this performance represents the stories and the experiences of those women I have met, spoken to or heard about. It touches all of us."
Every member of the cast and crew for the video had experience or knowing someone affected by domestic abuse, and Mel - a Women's Aid patron - is "proud" of what they created.
She added: "I'm so incredibly proud to be part of this project which means so much to me because this is a collaboration of three things that are so important in my life. Music, dance and a way to highlight the ever increasing issue of violence towards women.
"It seems strange to say I am proud of showing something so brutal and disturbing but it is my mission to raise awareness of something so many women go through every day, every week, every month of their lives."
Tagged in Mel B