When Mel B filed for a restraining order against her abusive husband, Stephen “Belafonte,” she included the detail that their children’s former nanny had colluded with Stephen to blackmail and threaten her. According to Mel’s declaration, Stephen impregnated the nanny in early 2014, convinced her to have an abortion and paid her substantial amounts of Mel’s money. About a year later Mel tried to fire the nanny, a 25 year-old German woman named Lorraine Gilles, but reneged after Stephen threatened to release compromising videos of Mel and ruin her career.
It came out in the days following Mel’s request for a restraining order that Stephen had removed personal items from their home, including photos of Mel’s late father and Spice Girls memorabilia, and was thought to be keeping them in a storage facility rented under Lorraine’s name. When Mel couldn’t gain access to the storage space she filed another restraining order against Lorraine. Well Lorraine is firing back and is suing Mel for defamation. Apparently as a third party she’s allowed to sue under California law. TMZ doesn’t have a PDF of this lawsuit yet unfortunately, but they do have some details:
Mel B’s former nanny is filing a lawsuit against the singer, claiming she told lies about her in the divorce case against Stephen Belafonte.
TMZ has learned the lawsuit centers on declarations Mel B filed in which she claims Belafonte and Lorraine Gilles told her they had an affair and that Lorraine was pregnant with his child. Mel B also claimed Gilles had an abortion.
Mel B goes on to accuse Gilles and Belafonte of pilfering money from her.
In another declaration, Mel B claims Lorraine has control over her sex tapes and might disseminate them.
There are numerous exhibits and pictures in the lawsuit which Gilles believe will convince a jury Mel B’s allegations are a pack of lies.
It’s interesting … generally a person can’t be sued for what they say in court papers, but there’s an exception in California family law cases when someone makes a claim against 3rd parties who are not involved in the litigation. Lorraine Gilles is a 3rd party in the divorce case.
I know that interest in this case is waning somewhat but I would really like to see a copy of this defamation lawsuit. Also, in regard to the nanny vs. Mel I think they’re both victims. I’m more on Mel’s side, but this is a 25 year-old woman who was manipulated and used by her employer. No one wins here and I understand why Lorraine wants to defend herself. Her privacy was violated.
Photos credit: PRPhotos and WENN
Am not convinced the nanny is wholly innocent. She did take the children out of the country illegally and only returned to the US with them under court orders. Plus I don’t think Mel would have made those claims without evidence and she does seems to have proof that the nanny and the scum bag were in some sort of cahoots. There is a paper trail of a lot of money being given to her. She and the scum bag may not have been having an affair but there was def something going on.
But yes in some ways both women have been used by the scum bag.
If the nanny had Mel’s sex tapes and was threatening to release them, she was threatening sexual assault.
While she is also probably a victim, she’s perpetrating a crime as well. At a certain point, you aren’t just along for the ride, you are actively contributing.
My sympathy for her is pretty low, but i’m willing to change my mind if more info comes out.
On a purely superficial note, I think Mel looks really beautiful in the thumbnail photo.
Still interested, Celebitchy! Just one of those horrible stories that’s hard to comment on 🙁
Likewise, I just really want the poor woman to be the far side of this already. I just don’t know what to say, loved Mel B since I was 9 years old when the Spice Girls first came out and it’s horrific what she’s been through.
same here , there is hardly anything profound to be said yet really it needs to be covered and be out in the open, this isn’t on Mel and she shouldn’t feel ashamed, cowered or anything but brave and strong so .. I get it
I’m interested it’s hard to comment on because it’s so awful what she went through but I like getting updates on this story.
Yes Agreed! I’m interested too, just not really sure what to say. Poor Scary Spice
Me too. I want to be kept abreast of what’s happening with Mel’s case – and DO NOT want to have to visit the Daily Fail website – but don’t really want to comment, since the whole thing is so horrible.
If she was an innocent third party who was being manipulated by her employer against his wife surely a statement declaring she didn’t understand the extent of the situation, there was no affair and if there is a storage facility in her name she had nothing to do with it would clear your name far quicker, no?
yeah, exactly.
something is not right here, and i am doubting it is from mel’s end.
Doesn’t the nanny have to prove that Mel knowingly made false accusations for her to succeed in a defamation lawsuit?
Yep. Good luck to Nanny Nutso. At the very least she abducted the kids, and that CAN be proven.
I would hire a scary lawyer and pay her dust.
How can you manipulate a 25 year old when you are the nanny, adult in an affair? she could have said “hey Mel your guys is hitting on me”.. Nowadays I don’t believe nanny are manipulated especially when they care about the kids half of the time if not 24/7.. if it’s about the memorabilia, same: too hot to handle. I’ll go straight to the wife.
The solution to the omnipresent celebrity nanny problem, is to hire professional nannies with years of experience, who’ve been thoroughly vetted by an agency and come with positive references from families that are happy to vouch for them. Although, we’d hear a lot less gossip about a celebrity husband having it off with a nanny, which is not great for the column or the readers, but much nicer for the actual families involved.
I doubt that nannies are the only people these Hollywood husbands are cheating with though- especially considering this particular guy’s abusive history and attitude he’s expressed about men cheating on their wives before.
I was being facetious but the nanny cheating gossip certainly makes the news more often than the ordinary cheating.
I understand the nanny was also a victmin, but she should be on Mel side.. which she’s clearly not.
She could be a victim to- based on the way this guy has abused Mel B and his other ex girlfriend, plus the fact that he got involved with a younger employee, that’s not too shocking- but it also seems like she’s very complicit in his abuse of another woman, and she’s well into her adulthood. I feel sorry for her being in this situation with his loser, but I don’t really have sympathy over her being outed as participating in his treatment of Mel B.
I don’t have anything worthwhile to say, that hasn’t already been said, but wanted to show I’m interested and rooting for her.