Mel B says her Spice Girls bandmates have given their blessing to her engagement to boyfriend Rory McPhee.

The singer, 47, confirmed in an interview with the new issue of Hello! magazine she is set to marry the hairdresser after reports last month he had proposed with a £100,000 ring.

Mel said about how she treasures her bandmates’ opinion of her other half: “Emma (Bunton) cried, so did Mel C. All of them were delighted for us and said, ‘We love Rory, he's amazing’ and they’ve all sent congratulations cards.

“I do care about their opinion and it’s really special to me that they like Rory so much, because they’ve never liked any of my boyfriends and they’ve been quite clear about that.

“They were actually pushing me towards Rory for ages before the two of us became romantic, but I'd say to them, ‘It’s not like that; he’s just a really good friend who makes me feel safe.’”

Rory proposed with a diamond band at luxury country hotel Cliveden House, Berkshire.

Sources have said the 36-year-old has helped Mel recover from her relationship with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, who she says was abusive – an accusation he denies.

A source told The Sun about the engagement: “Mel is so happy and this is such a big deal for her because she has been though such a lot.

“It has taken a huge amount for a man to get her to trust him and to believe in love again.

“Rory is from her home town Leeds, he’s known her for years. He’s the absolute opposite of so many of the guys she had relationships with.

“He is a really normal, down-to-earth guy, with good morals who has worked incredibly hard to build his own business and a family business. He’s not flash, or interested in the limelight.

“He comes from a loving family and his best pal is Mel’s cousin, Christian Cooke. He has really taken the time to understand what she’s been through. He is madly in love with her.”

Mel said earlier this month she was left feeling “completely powerless” in her relationship with 47-year-old Stephen, whom she divorced in 2017.

The mum-of-three appeared before politicians at an event hosted by The Sun and Women’s Aid at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham on October 2 and called for ministers to fix Britain’s court system and increase funding for domestic abuse survivors.