Mel B pays tribute to fiancée Rory McPhee as she reveals their engagement left Spice Girls bandmates in tears

Mel B has revealed how her fellow Spice Girls reacted following boyfriend Rory McPhee's proposal.

The singer, 47, who lives in Leeds, is set to marry for the third time after her hairdresser, 34, fiancée popped the question with a £100,000 diamond ring at the luxury country hotel Cliveden House in Berkshire.

She said her bandmates gave Rory their seal of approval and were pushing for them to be an item before they were romantically involved. Mel claims Emma Bunton and Mel C were so happy about the news of the engagement they cried.

"All of them were delighted for us and said, 'We love Rory, he's amazing', and they've all sent congratulations cards. I do care about their opinion, and it's really special to me that they like Rory so much because they've never liked any of my boyfriends, and they've been quite clear about that,” Mel told Hello magazine.

"For the first time in my life, I'm engaged to a beautiful, honest person who makes me feel protected, nurtured, and so loved, and I want to savour that," Mel shared.

Before Rory got down on one knee, he took Mel for a walk around the grounds of the luxury hotel with the dogs and they had dinner.

He was so nervous that his lips were trembling and despite having spent time writing his speech, the hairdresser “babbled” during the moment.

Mel said: “On the way back, Rory suddenly said, 'I'm going to go back to the room and put the fire on'. I didn't think anything of it, but I did get this funny feeling in my stomach. Then, as I walked through the door, he got down on one knee."

The pair are rumoured to have first met in 2018 through friends in Los Angeles, but their relationship became more serious the following year when Mel returned to the UK to begin the Spice Girls reunion tour.

Rory McPhee, who owns the Rory James salon in Horsforth, is best friends with Melanie’s cousin, actor Christian Cooke.

He has helped the former America’s Got Talent judge heal from her abusive former relationship.

Mel broke up with her former husband, Stephen Belafonte, in 2017 after he allegedly emotionally and physically abused her during their 10-year marriage.

Belafonte has repeatedly denied the allegations, and the couple divorced in 2017. They have an 11-year-old daughter called Madison together.

The 47-year-old was previously married to Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 to 2000, and the pair have a daughter, Phoenix Chi, 23.

She also had a brief relationship with actor Eddie Murphy and fell pregnant with daughter Angel during this time.

Earlier this year, Mel B was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work with domestic violence charities and those who have suffered in abusive relationships.