Girls Aloud star Harding, who is seven years younger than the former Spice Girl, has been modelling the brand for two years.

Mother-of-two Mel B landed the £100,000 contract after toning up her body in gruelling rehearsals for the US version of Strictly Come Dancing and the Spice Girls' reunion tour.

TO SEE AN INCREDIBLE SLIDESHOW OF MEL B IN ULTIMO LINGERIE CLICK HERE.

The 32-year-old said she was "over the moon" to get the job but "slightly nervous" because she had "never modelled lingerie before."

She said: "After taking part in Dancing With The Stars in the US and the Spice Girls World Tour I have never been in better shape, so I jumped at the chance".

Ultimo creator Michelle Mone said: "Mel B is the biggest star Ultimo has ever signed and I am so excited that this will take the brand on to another level.

"Not only is Mel B a worldwide star but she is confident, sexy and outgoing, every attribute needed to become an Ultimo supermodel."
Mel B, who posed for images at a Beverly Hills mansion, wed movie producer Stephen Belafonte in a £29 Las Vegas drive-through ceremony last year.

She is mother to one-year-old Angel Iris, whose father is Hollywood superstar Eddie Murphy, and Phoenix Chi, nine, from first husband dancer Jimmy Gulzar.

Mel B follows in the footsteps of Rod Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster, who was dumped by the firm and replaced by the singer's ex-wife Rachel Hunter.

The stunt led rocker Stewart to accuse Mone of being a "manipulative cow".

The lingerie firm also signed up Stewart's model daughter Kimberly in a £100,000 deal.

A Ultimo spokeswoman said Harding's contract had expired.

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE YEP'S NEW COMMUNITY WEBSITES?
Click here for a full run down of the 12 sites launched to date - all featuring ultra local news, sport and entertainment.