The former Spice Girl - who has 11-year-old daughter Scarlet Starr with her ex-husband Thomas Starr - says it was Scarlet who helped her realise she could walk away from her now-ex.
She said: "Before having kids, even though I had friends and a partner, I used to sometimes feel very lonely ... She's made me braver. Leaving her dad was hard, but I wasn’t happy and he wasn’t happy and it wasn’t the environment I wanted my child to grow up in. I couldn’t have done that without the strength I got from her."
And the 46-year-old singer "feels bad" for her daughter sometimes because she is the "child of a famous person".
She added: "I feel bad for Scarlet because it's hard being the child of a famous person. I sometimes say, 'I'm really sorry that you are my daughter,' but she just says, 'Don’t worry, you are the best mum.' We're already seeing some pre-teen behaviour; she's definitely her own person and she’s both embarrassed by me and proud of me."
And Mel admits parenting can be "one of the most exhausting and unrewarding jobs" at times.
Speaking to The Times newspaper's Weekend supplement, she said: "It can be one of the most exhausting, unrewarding jobs you can do ... I'm about to fly to Australia and I've made a timetable for everyone who’ll be looking after Scarlet when I'm gone - my mum, her nanny. There are after-school clubs, playdates; everything’s highlighted. As a mum you have to be prepared and that’s my responsibility."
