Melanie Brown, best known as Mel B of the Spice Girls, has thanked Nicole Kidman for shining a light on domestic violence, ahead of her divorce from Stephen Belafonte later this month.
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When Kidman took to the stage at the Emmys to accept her award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role as abused housewife Celeste Wright in HBO's Big Little Lies she acknowledged the prevalence of domestic violence in society.
"We've shone a light on domestic abuse. It is a complicated, insidious disease. It exists far more than we allow ourselves to know. It is filled with shame and secrecy and by you acknowledging me with this award it shines a light on it even more. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. I bow down to you," Kidman said in her speech.
Shortly after, Brown took to her Instagram with one million followers to share the Australian actress' quote and to also add a message to victims of domestic violence.
"We are not alone remember that, 'the light is shined' again thanks to @nicolekidman at the @televisionacad ... So pls (sic) trust and believe. You don't have to be a victim no more, you do have the power and support to stand up to this, leave all your shame and pain with your abuser, if not the 'Diablo' WILL kill you," Brown wrote.
Brown filed for divorce from Belafonte in March after nearly 10 years of marriage.
A month later, the singer and reality television judge was granted a temporary restraining order against him after accusing him of physically and emotionally abusing her - saying she was "in fear" for her life - as well as sexual blackmail and getting their German nanny, Lorraine Gilles, pregnant.
In her declaration to the court, Brown alleged that on multiple dates the film producer attacked her during their marriage.
In November 2007, on the day of her Dancing with the Stars US finale she says Belafonte tried to choke her and slammed her onto hardwood floors. She said, he would "beat me down to let me know he was in charge".
In July 2012, while taping The X Factor in Australia, she said that he punched her with a closed fist after he believed she was flirting with Usher, who was helping with her acts as a mentor.
Brown claims that Belafonte would blackmail her with their sex tapes, threatening to release them if she didn't "participate in sexual intercourse with him and random women".
Belafonte denies all allegations.
He has a separate domestic violence charge from 2003 after an assault on his ex-partner, Nicole Contreras, the mother of his eldest biological daughter, Giselle.
Brown and Belafonte have one biological daughter together - Madison Brown Belafonte, five. Mel B has two other daughters, Angel Murphy Brown, 10, with actor Eddie Murphy and Phoenix Gulzar, 18, with her ex-husband, former backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar.
Fairfax Media revealed on Sunday that an unlikely Australian witness could be called to testify in the bitter and very public divorce battle.
"Big Jim" Byrnes, 57, former financial adviser to bankrupt businessman Alan Bond, who is often referred to as a "colourful Sydney business identity", has claimed he has been asked to make himself available as a witness in the Los Angeles divorce hearing set to begin this month.
