Eddie Murphy's shameful comments about Mel B baby and her life in his 'gilded cage'

Hollywood icon and legend endured a whirlwind romance in 2006. The once-fairytale coupling soon turned sour, ending in a public battle over paternity and child support for their daughter.

Mel, 59, and Eddie, 63, which the songstress has previously described as "poetry". Speaking in her memoir, Mel said of their first encounter: "It was as if a 2,000-volt electric current had passed between us... I felt I had known this man all my life and that I was staring at my destiny in his face."

Such was their bond that the duo went on to have each other's autographs tattooed on their thighs. After months of dating, Eddie proposed and Mel fell pregnant. They welcomed Angel Iris Murphy Brown in April 2007.

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However, the blissful scenario soon came crashing down and after nine months, their relationship quickly unravelled into what Mel has since described as "a gilded cage".

She claimed strict house rules set by Eddie along with paranoia meant she rarely left the house. She said the star was a "germ freak" who was obsessed with security, going as far as checking locks nightly.

Mel added in her memoir: "Nothing was really in my control. I knew I could never live like this and be part of Eddie's kingdom."

But things got more complicated for the pair thanks to a bombshell comment Eddie made to reporters when Mel was pregnant.

He said: "I don’t know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, sir."

Mel was said to have been hurt by the comments, insisting the was planned. A DNA test later proved that Eddie was indeed the father of the child.

"He wishes he never said it because that baby was planned," Mel told in 2021. "We planned that baby together and we were madly in love, and it just went wrong, dramatically went wrong. He is the love of my life. He always will be.”

Following a paternity battle, Eddie initially paid $25,000 (£19,000) a month as per an agreement made in 2009. This changed in 2022 when the singer asked for an increase following a "change in income" due to her expensive divorce from Stephen Belafonte.

Eddie obliged and went on to pay $35,000 (£26,600) each month. Court documents showed his payments would continue until his daughter turns 18 - which is today (April 3).

Over the years, Eddie has fathered 10 children with five women. He has maintained a close relationship with his other children. It's thought that despite Eddie rarely seeing his daughter in her formative years, the pair have a closer relationship now.

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