KEY POINTS:
Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown has chastised Eddie Murphy for questioning the paternity of her unborn child.
In a statement released yesterday, Brown said: "I was astonished what Eddie said. There is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."
The 31-year-old singer, previously known around the world as 'Scary Spice', said she was upset by Murphy's comments made to a Dutch television interviewer.
"I am obviously upset and distressed at some of the comments made by Eddie Murphy to the media. I have no idea why anyone would want to conduct themselves in this kind of manner about such a personal matter in such a public way. My main concern is for the well-being of my daughter, Phoenix, and of course the baby."
During an interview on Dutch television programme RTL Boulevard, Murphy was indignant when questioned about Brown's pregnancy.
"You're being presumptuous, because we're not together anymore. And I don't know whose child that is, until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir," he said.
Murphy's publicist denied the reports at first, before footage of the interview appeared on the internet.
Adding insult to injury, friends of Brown say the singer did not know her relationship with Murphy had ended until details of the interview emerged over the weekend.
Murphy stepped out with his new girlfriend, film producer Tracey Edmonds, at the New York premier of the film Dreamgirls, earlier this week.
Edmonds told People magazine the couple had been dating for "about a month and a half".
- NZHERALD STAFF