Mel B Headed To Rehab For Alcohol, Sex Addiction After PTSD Diagnosis
“I am being very honest about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on,” Mel B revealed during a recent interview with The Sun.
Following a diagnosis of PTSD, Mel B is reportedly headed to rehab to battle her demons.
The former Spice Girl and current “America’s Got Talent” judge, whose full name is Melanie Brown, announced the news during a recent interview with The Sun, revealing to the British publication her plans to enter a facility in the United Kingdom next month to get treatment for her addictions to alcohol and sex.
“The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me,” she said.
Mel B, 43, is currently working on a book, “Brutally Honest,” and told The Sun that the process of “reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life” has been “unbelievably traumatic.”
She added, “I am being very honest about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on.”
Mel B has had a tumultuous year. She and her ex, 43-year-old producer Stephen Belafonte, settled their divorce earlier this month, after more than a year of battling it out in court. During proceedings, Mel B alleged that Belafonte was physically and emotionally abusive during their 10-year marriage, but those claims were later dropped, People reported.
“Sometimes it is too hard to cope with all the emotions I feel,” the pop star explained to The Sun. “But the problem has never been about sex or alcohol — it is underneath all that.
“I am fully aware I have been at a crisis point. No one knows myself better than I do — but I am dealing with it,” she said, adding that she has chosen to seek treatment in the UK “because I am very, very British and I know that will work best for me.”
She also revealed to The Sun that she had recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but so far it’s really helping me,” she said.
“I’m not perfect, and I have never pretended to be,” she continued. “But I am working on being a better version of myself for my kids — whom I love more than life itself — and for all the people who have supported me.”
Mel B took to Twitter on Sunday to share a link to a webpage explaining the definition of PTSD, writing, “Knowledge is power.”
Mel B's announcement comes days after actor Ben Affleck sought help for his own struggles with alcohol by reportedly entering a rehab facility.
[Photo: Mel B attends “America’s Got Talent” Season 13 Live Show Red Carpet at Dolby Theatre on August 21, 2018 in Hollywood, California. By Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic via Getty Images]