Mel B gets engaged to boyfriend of three years Rory McPhee after he 'restored' her faith in men
BERKSHIRE, UK: Former Spice Girl Mel B got engaged to her three-year-long boyfriend Rory McPhee, a 36-year-old hairdresser from Leeds and a long-time family friend. According to The Sun, McPhee was the one who helped Mel B recover from the damage caused by the decade-long relationship with her abusive ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. Mel had bravely spoken about feeling "powerless" from all the abuse but according to the sources close to her, McPhee restored her faith in men.
Mel B and McPhee began dating in 2018 and the latter proposed to her on Wednesday, October 19 while they were at the Cliveden House in Berkshire. Mel and those close to her were happy since she had to go through a lot due to the toxic relationship and it took her a long to believe in love again.
READ MORE
According to The Sun, McPhee proposed to Mel with a £100,000 (~$113,044) pear-shaped, champagne-colored diamond ring, encrusted with smaller champagne diamonds set on a rose gold band. A source told the outlet, "Mel is so happy and this is such a big deal for her because she has been through such a lot. It has taken a huge amount for a man to get her to trust him and to believe in love again.
Speaking about McPhee, the source added, "Rory is from her home town Leeds, he’s known her for years. He’s the absolute opposite of so many of the guys she had relationships with. He is a really normal, down-to-earth guy, with good morals who has worked incredibly hard to build his own business and a family business. He’s not flash, or interested in the limelight. He comes from a loving family and his best pal is Mel’s cousin, Christian Cooke. He has really taken the time to understand what she’s been through. He is madly in love with her."
The source spoke about Mel's trauma and how McPhee helped her cope. "It’s incredibly hard to trust a man after years of abuse but he has shown her men can be caring, trustworthy, and reliable," the source said.
According to friends, Mel burst into tears when McPhee proposed to her. a person close to the singer said, "She said ‘yes’ straight away. But it was incredibly emotional because, after everything she has been through, it was a really big moment for her."
Mel's eldest daughter Phoenix, who is now 23, was the first one who found out about the news and later her family and the other Spice Girls were brought into her plan. The other members of the band had met McPhee and they all liked him. Their relationship took a serious turn in 2019 following the Spice Girl World Tour when Mel returned to the UK.