Why Is Mel B Going to Rehab If She's 'Not an Alcoholic' and 'Not a Sex Addict'?
Mel B clarified her statement about checking into a rehabilitation facility to guest host Lea Michele on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Wednesday.
Melanie Brown revealed she decided to "go into a proper therapy program in the next few weeks" in the U.K. in a statement to The Sun Sunday.
"It kind of got a bit skewed," the former Spice Girls singer told Michele. "I've been in therapy since my father got diagnosed with cancer nine years ago. My therapy changed a little bit because I was in a very intense relationship, which you can read about in my book." Brutally Honest will be in stores in November.
"No, I'm not an alcoholic. No, I'm not a sex addict," she continued. "I was with the same person for 10 years and that was quite a turmoil, very intense. That's all I can say about it. I'd like to say a lot more, but on this show, let's keep it PC. I address a lot of those issues and I did have to ease my pain. I did suffer a lot from PTSD."
"I am being very honest in my book about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on. Sometimes it is too hard to cope with all the emotions I feel. But the problem has never been about sex or alcohol—it is underneath all that," Mel B said in her statement. "I am fully aware I am at a crisis point."
She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and started a therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), on August 9. "In a nutshell [it] works on the memory to deal with some of the very painful and traumatic situations I have been through," she explained in the statement. "I am still struggling but if I can shine a light on this issue of pain, PTSD and the things men and women do to mask it, I will do."
In addition to the release of her book, Mel B's future also includes a Spice Girls reunion. "We are definitely going to reunite and go on tour," she told Michele.
Her future with America's Got Talent is up in the air. "They haven't signed me up yet" for another season, she said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Season 13, which is currently airing, is her sixth time as a judge.
