Mel B has teamed up with Women's Aid to star as a domestic violence survivor in a harrowing awareness video.
The Spice Girls star became a patron for the charity, which aims to end domestic violence against women and children, in 2018, after she went public with allegations of domestic abuse against her now ex-husband Stephen Belafonte during their divorce proceedings in 2017.
And she has now collaborated with them on the video, titled Love Should Not Hurt, which features music by classical composer Fabio D'Andrea, to raise awareness about domestic violence.
In the footage, Mel can be seen living a wealthy lifestyle in an idyllic countryside house and appears to be loved-up with her husband in public, however, behind closed doors, she is subjected to a harrowing torrent of abuse, with her being strangled, punched, and left beaten and covered in bruises.
In an interview with The Sun, the singer explained that she ended up with bruises for real because she wanted to portray domestic abuse survivors' stories as accurately as possible.
"I have a responsibility to make sure these situations are portrayed as realistically as possible," she said. "I looked at all the emails I've received from women who have read my book (Brutally Honest) and handpicked some to help me with the acting.
"Whether it be the spitting or the strangulation, these are things that actually happen. They are not just my story - they are all these women's stories.
"I came out of making that video with bruises because I wanted it to be an honest representation of what we have all gone through. There is a bedroom scene where I am attacked, it was really important to make that real."
Mel is now settled back in her hometown of Leeds with her three daughters, although she shares custody of her nine-year-old daughter Madison with the American producer.
And, despite thinking that the trauma from her marriage would stop her from enjoying romance again, the 45-year-old is now in a new relationship, although she refused to share details.
"I'm riddled with so many trauma triggers, I couldn't be hugged or touched for a good year," she confessed. "But there is a way out of it. It takes somebody whos very kind, understanding and patient to help you out of that unwanted cycle you fear going back into."
