Singer and X-Factor judge Mel B came very close to being kicked out of Australia after a visa bungle. Picture: Nic Gibson Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Article by Richard Clune and Ros Reines, The Sunday Telegraph
X FACTOR judge Mel B has been left red-faced by an embarrassing visa bungle that could have seen the former Spice Girl deported back to Britain.
Immigration officials last week launched an investigation into the British pop star's Australian work commitments after she revealed she had signed on as an ambassador for weightloss firm Jenny Craig in a deal said to be worth up to $150,000.
Brown - also known as Scary Spice - had been sponsored by the Seven Network to come to Australia as a judge for its popular TV talent quest, but her visa conditions prevent her from working for other organisations without securing additional sponsorship.
The guidelines state that international artists who enter the country to work on an Entertainment Visa (subclass 420) must successfully apply for further sponsorship if they undertake secondary work.
While the Department of Immigration would not comment on Brown's specific case for privacy reasons, a source close to the 36-year-old singer confirmed she had been investigated. Her management met with the department and the matter "was now resolved", the source said.
A Jenny Craig spokesman said there was no issue with her contract. At 75 kilograms, Brown is more curvy than flabby, but has declared that she wants to shift 15 kilograms in the next three months - more than Jenny Craig's recommended guideline of one kilogram a week.
The mother-of-three said she wasn't deterred by criticism levelled at her for joining the weightloss program just five weeks after giving birth, saying she liked the structure it provided.
"My husband usually takes care of me, preparing meals for me that are good for me. But he has to keep going backwards and forwards from LA, so he can't look after me all the time," Brown said.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Brown also revealed she had been to a number of Kings Cross strip clubs with husband Stephen Belafonte since arriving in Sydney.
"We live an exciting life and we like to let off a bit of steam," she said.
"It keeps the marriage spiced up and alive."
Brown said she was so impressed with the city, she and her husband were considering buying a house in Sydney's eastern suburbs, close to where she is living with daughters Phoenix, 12, Angel, 4, and newborn Madison - in a rented apartment in Point Piper.
Immigration officials last week launched an investigation into the British pop star's Australian work commitments after she revealed she had signed on as an ambassador for weightloss firm Jenny Craig in a deal said to be worth up to $150,000.
Brown - also known as Scary Spice - had been sponsored by the Seven Network to come to Australia as a judge for its popular TV talent quest, but her visa conditions prevent her from working for other organisations without securing additional sponsorship.
The guidelines state that international artists who enter the country to work on an Entertainment Visa (subclass 420) must successfully apply for further sponsorship if they undertake secondary work.
While the Department of Immigration would not comment on Brown's specific case for privacy reasons, a source close to the 36-year-old singer confirmed she had been investigated. Her management met with the department and the matter "was now resolved", the source said.
A Jenny Craig spokesman said there was no issue with her contract. At 75 kilograms, Brown is more curvy than flabby, but has declared that she wants to shift 15 kilograms in the next three months - more than Jenny Craig's recommended guideline of one kilogram a week.
The mother-of-three said she wasn't deterred by criticism levelled at her for joining the weightloss program just five weeks after giving birth, saying she liked the structure it provided.
"My husband usually takes care of me, preparing meals for me that are good for me. But he has to keep going backwards and forwards from LA, so he can't look after me all the time," Brown said.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Brown also revealed she had been to a number of Kings Cross strip clubs with husband Stephen Belafonte since arriving in Sydney.
"We live an exciting life and we like to let off a bit of steam," she said.
"It keeps the marriage spiced up and alive."
Brown said she was so impressed with the city, she and her husband were considering buying a house in Sydney's eastern suburbs, close to where she is living with daughters Phoenix, 12, Angel, 4, and newborn Madison - in a rented apartment in Point Piper.
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