Mel B wedding: Who is new husband Rory McPhee? Spice Girl weds beau during St Paul's Cathedral ceremony

The loved-up couple held a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, with stars such as Mel’s Spice Girl co-member Emma Bunton as well as comedian Katherine Ryan, model Daisy Lowe and presenter Gaby Roslin.

It was previously reported that the other Spice Girls - Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisholm [Mel C] - would not be attending the nuptials. Victoria is believed to be abroad but did send Mel her best wishes in a gushing post on Instagram, saying: “ I couldn't be more excited for you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness!”

As part of the lavish occasion, guests have also reportedly been treated to a £28,000 reception at The Shard in central London.

As Mel B marries partner Rory McPhee, here’s everything you need to know about the former Scary Spice’s beau.

Who is Rory McPhee?

Rory McPhee is a 37-year-old hair stylist from Leeds who has worked with celeb stylist Lee Stafford and hair brand Redken.

He actually knew his soon-to-be wife for years before they go together, with Rory a friend of Mel’s cousin Christian Cooke having met at school. Mel revealed to People Magazine in 2024 that her first impression of Rory was that he was “just a friend, a family friend”.

However, she revealed that when she moved back to Leeds in 2019, the pair reconnected and quickly formed a friendship that turned romantic. Mel, said: “He was just there patiently waiting, always there to give me a hair treatment, always there to talk. He’s a great listener. And he just became more and more of a friend, and more and more important in my life.

“It’d been a long time that anybody was that kind to me. I wasn’t looking for intimacy or anything like that because I was still suffering a lot from PTSD. And he was just patient. He read the first draft of my book. He just couldn’t believe that a person that says they loved you would treat you like that.”

When did Mel B and Rory McPhee get engaged?

Rory proposed to Mel in 2022. She revealed that her partner had set up a special visit to her favourite hotel, Cliveden Hotel in Berkshire, as part of the proposal. Rory told Hello! Magazine: “My lips were trembling. I’d spent ages writing down all these things I wanted to say, but when it came to it, I just babbled.”

Mel also revealed that Rory had went to the grave of her late father, whom Rory knew having been friends with cousin Christian Cooke in their younger years, to ask for her hand in marriage. She told TODAY: “He went to my dad’s grave, so he told me afterwards, and asked for my hand in marriage. I mean, not that my dad could say anything… but it was so lovely.”

Who was Mel B previously married to?

Mel’s first marriage was to Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar, whom she met while on the Spiceworld Tour in 1998. They tied the knot in September 1998 and she gave birth to her first daughter Phoenix Chi Gulzar in February 1999.

They split in 2000 when Mel filed for divorce. Gulzar was eventually prosecuted for threatening the singer and her sister Danielle. While found guilty in August 2001 of assaulting Danielle, a court later cleared him of the crime.

Her second marriage was to film producer Stephen Belafonte. The couple married in secret in June 2007 and welcomed a daughter, Madison Brown Belafonte, in September 2011.

Mel and Stephen experienced a temperamental marriage, with Mel accusing her husband of domestic abuse and alleging that she attempted to take her own life in 2014. She filed for divorce in March 2017, citing Stephen’s alleged emotional and physical abuse.

She told the BBC: “I wasn’t just emotionally and physically abused, there was all the financial abuse too. I didn’t realise that I didn’t have as much money as I thought I had. So I literally had to eat humble pie, live with my mum.”

Stephen’s lawyers claimed that the singer had spent all of her Spice Girl earnings. They eventually reached a divorce settlement in August 2018, with allegations dropped against Stephen and shared custody of their daughter agreed upon.

Mel also had high profile relationships with actor Max Beesley, as well as comedian and Hollywood star Eddie Murphy. During her relationship with Murphy, Mel welcomed her second child, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, however the actor initially denied that he was her father and requested a paternity test. The paternity test eventually proved that he was Angel’s father and the former couple, who split shortly before their daughter’s birth, reached a paternity settlement.