Eddie's the daddy, says Mel
2006-12-08 09:27
New York - Eddie Murphy has said he is not sure if he is the father of former Spice Girl Melanie Brown's unborn child. Brown, however, says she is quite certain he is.
"I am obviously upset and distressed at some of the comments made by Eddie Murphy to the media," Brown, 31, said in a statement released on Thursday by her publicist, Nadine Bibi.
"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. I was astonished what Eddie said. There is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."
Bibi said Brown - known as Scary Spice when she was in the British megahit group of the '90s - was not giving interviews "at this stage".
Murphy, 45, who stars in the upcoming Dreamgirls film, was recently asked by a TV interviewer if he was excited that Brown is pregnant.
"Now you're being presumptuous because we're not together anymore," Murphy replied. "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."
A clip of the interview was posted earlier this week on the entertainment website TMZ.com.
Arnold Robinson, a spokesperson for Murphy, said on Thursday he does not comment on the actor's personal life.
Murphy escorted film producer Tracey Edmonds to the Dreamgirls premiere in New York earlier this week. When asked by AP Television News if Edmonds is his "new lady", he smiled and replied, "Yeah".
People magazine, on its website, has quoted Edmonds, the ex-wife of singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, as saying she has been dating Murphy "for about a month and a half".
Murphy's wife, Nicole, filed for divorce last year, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple were married in 1993 and have five children together.
- AP