Mel B Stephan Belafonte
Former Spice Girls singer Mel B filed a restraining order against her estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, claiming he sexually exploited her and psychically abused her. Above, the former couple is pictured April 6, 2016 in Hollywood. Getty Images

Former Spice Girls singer Mel B might have hinted about her troubled marriage on Instagram through cryptic posts. She accused her husband of nearly 10 years, Stephen Belafonte, of abusing her Monday.

The British star obtained a restraining order against him, claiming, in part, he forced her into threesomes with other women, threatened to leak a sex tape and physically abused her, TMZ wrote in an exclusive report. Mel B, 41, was worried for the safety of herself and her daughters, Madison and Angel. She also has daughter Phoenix from her first marriage to Jimmy Gulzar.

READ: ‘Empire’ Star Terrence Howard Slams Rumors He Abused His Exes

Weeks before filing the restraining order, Mel B took to Instagram to share a cryptic post. “You have to be at your strongest when you’re feeling at you’re weakest,” the quote read. It was like more than 8,000 times by her 834,000. Fans quickly responded to the message, telling the British star she was “strong” in the comment section.

When the cryptic post was originally written, most assumed the message was about her father who died a week earlier. “It is with great sadness after a five year battle to multiple myeloma cancer our loving father Martin Brown passed away age 63 peacefully yesterday,” she wrote last month. “Both of us his children were by his side and would like to say thank you to St Gemma's and all the doctors and nurses for their amazing care and support over the years.”

Mel B, whose full name is Melanie Janine Brown, did not issue a public statement after she filed the restraining order.

Belafonte denied to accusations against him to TMZ Monday. “So I force her to have threesomes? OK. You know what my comment to this is, actually? That is the mother of my children. I am really distraught in my brain how this is going to affect our children. And the depths that she’s going through. That’s it. I’m shocked at those allegations and it is what it is.”

Belafonte’s house was raided by the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) after his brother claimed Belafonte had an illegal gun in the house. “I think someone is trying to set me up to look like a bad guy. I mean, obviously you saw my house got raided and no one found anything,” he told the paparazzi. “It’s accusation after accusation. But we’ll have our day in court.”

The film producer was forbidden from carrying firearms after he was convicted of domestic abuse against another woman, TMZ wrote. The alleged gun was either a .38 or .357 magnum.

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