Mel B was horrified when she discovered her oldest daughter Phoenix knew about the domestic abuse she endured at the hands of her ex-husband.
The Spice Girls singer filed for divorce from Stephen Belafonte in March 2017 and has accused him of emotional and physical abuse throughout their relationship - allegations which he has denied - documenting the incidents in her her tell-all 2018 book 'Brutally Honest', which journalist Louise Gannon helped her research and write.
During that process, the 'Wannabe' singer found out that Phoenix - whose father is Mel's first husband Jimmy Gulzar - was aware of what her mother had been through, something that hurts her deeply.
Recalling the process of writing the book, she wrote in The Sun newspaper: "There was a problem. The massive hangover of trauma from that relationship meant there was so much I could not remember.
"My writer had to piece so much together from talking to my close friends, family and colleagues to fill in the gaps from my memory.
"To my horror I found out what my daughter, Phoenix, had witnessed. Knowing what my daughter saw kills me."
In a joint piece for the The Sun, Phoenix reflected on her experiences growing up after hearing her parents fighting "two floors above" her basement bedroom.
She claimed: "I sneaked out of my room and looked through a gap in the stairs just to check Mum was OK.
"Then I went back to my room in the basement. But a few minutes later, I heard more screaming and shouting. She was yelling, 'Stop, get off!' Then I heard some thumps.
"I went upstairs again and saw Stephen with his pants down and my mum pushed over the couch. I froze but I knew there was nothing I could do."
Phoenix - who turns 23 this month - admitted she struggled to sleep despite having to go to school the next morning.
She added: "I was too frightened, too young, too helpless. So I went back to my room and lay on my bed staring terrified into the darkness.
"I had school the next day but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Back then, this was my family life."