It was announced on Monday that the former Spice Girl will be awarded a doctorate from Leeds Beckett University during a ceremony in August. In recent years, Mel, real name Melanie Brown, has campaigned against domestic abuse and worked with charities including Women's Aid. In 2018, the Spice World star split from ex-husband Stephen Belafonte after a decade together. Shortly after the split, Mel claimed the film producer had been emotionally and physically abusive throughout their relationship. Stephen's legal team have called the allegations "outrageous and unfounded"