Mel B is said to be in the running for a judge's spot on the United Kingdom's version of "X Factor," but her ongoing custody battle with ex-husband could prevent her from nabbing the job.
In order for the former Spice Girl to take the gig, she would have to spend about four months in London in the fall. The Sun said that Mel would want to take her daughter Madison, 6, with her. However, Mel shares joint custody of Madison with her ex, Stephen Belafonte, and the tabloid said he would almost certainly challenge her request to take their daughter across the pond for four months.
If Mel wanted to take Madison to the U.K. she would have to get permission from a judge. And, based on their custody agreement, Stephen would have to sign off. Insiders don't believe he would do that.
Mel and Stephen are also battling over visitation rights for her daughter Angel, who Stephen essentially raised. Mel would be expected to attend any court hearings in Los Angeles pertaining to Angel.
"Mel is interested in the 'X Factor.' She knows the show and loves working with Simon [Cowell,] and does resonate with audiences. But there would be a problem if she took the job for sure — as her husband would want to make sure Madison remains near him," a source told The Sun. "He could push that in court and it could take months to resolve. Also if he wins rights to see Angel, then that too would mean them having to come to visitation deals, which again would likely mean her having to jet back regularly with Angel."
The source continued, "The couple are just not pushing back on their anger for one another over their kids. The thought of a deal being done to allow her to go to London for three to four months is unthinkable."
Mel and Stephen's split has been vitriolic, to say the least — she's accused him of domestic abuse, among other things, whereas he's claimed that Mel has violated court orders. All of this could deter "X Factor" in the first place.
"Mel's predicament is likely to also weigh heavily on the mind of show bosses and Simon. They do not want to become embroiled in any of these personal matters," The Sun's insider said. "It is likely that she will miss out the way things stand at present. "