Spice Girl Melanie Brown is set to receive an honorary doctorate for her campaigning efforts – as she revealed she completed an “intense” course of trauma treatment.
The singer, also known as Mel B and Scary Spice, will receive the award from Leeds Beckett University in recognition of her work advocating for victims of domestic violence.
The 49-year-old said she was “very honored” and “proud” to have completed the course and is receiving her doctorate.
In an Instagram post, she said she found the course “intense” and “very difficult” as it involved reliving some of her past traumas.
She also said she did it so she could “do more” with domestic violence survivors she interacts with as part of her work with Women’s Aid.
“I want to help many, many more women together with Women’s Aid so we can support survivors and end domestic violence together,” she said.
Brown has been an advocate for victims of domestic violence since making allegations in her 2018 memoir, Brutally Honest, that she had been abused by her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. He denied the accusations.
In a separate statement, Brown said: “I didn’t just want to accept an award.
“I wanted to be accepted as a student at Leeds Beckett.”
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She added: “Not only did I receive this degree, but I was also accepted as a student on the Trauma Informed Care course, which was a huge step for me in so many ways.
“I am proud to feel part of this university in my hometown, proud to have come here as Melanie Brown, proud to have worked alongside other students and to have received excellent guidance from the faculty.”
Professor Peter Slee, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Beckett University, said: “On behalf of all our students, colleagues and governors here at Leeds Beckett University, I would like to congratulate Melanie Brown MBE on this honorary title.
“As a daughter of this city who rose to the top of her industry and then used her platform to advocate for those who shared her struggles, Melanie is exactly the kind of citizen we are here to defend.”
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Brown accepted an MBE in 2022 for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women and became a patron of Women’s Aid, the national charity fighting to end domestic violence against women and children, in 2018.
She will receive her honorary doctorate during Leeds Beckett graduation week this month.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
