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Mel B: Giving birth is a scary time, I would never do it without a midwife

The former Spice Girl was at an event to celebrate healthcare workers.

Charlotte McLaughlin
Tuesday 22 November 2022 19:59 GMT
Former Spice Girl Mel B (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Former Spice Girl Mel B (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

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Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown said giving birth can be a ā€œscary timeā€ and she would never do it without a midwife present.

The Spice Girl, 47, was speaking on Tuesday at The Sunā€™s Who Cares Wins Awards, hosted by Davina McCall, at The Roundhouse in London.

The event to celebrate dedicated healthcare workers was attended by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, boxer Anthony Joshua, musician and actor Martin Kemp and comedian Al Murray.

Mel B said on the red carpet that the NHS works ā€œrelentlessly hardā€ and people ā€œwouldnā€™t surviveā€ without it.

Speaking about her own experience of healthcare, when she gave birth, the singer, whose full name is Melanie Brown, said: ā€œI donā€™t think I could have done it without my midwife. I would never choose to do that without a midwife.

ā€œThey make you feel comfortable because itā€™s quite a scary or can be quite a scary time, and you look into the unknown even if youā€™ve had your second or third baby.ā€

Boxer Joshua said of the NHS: ā€œMy uncle is in there and I feel like the workers go unnoticed.

ā€œItā€™s an important thing, until you go in there, you donā€™t realise how important the NHS is.ā€

When asked whether it means more to him then the average person as an athlete, he said: ā€œYeah, definitely, itā€™s amazing.ā€

Joshua also said he would fight Tyson Fury ā€œwhen heā€™s ready ā€“ heā€™s not ready. When heā€™s ready, Iā€™ll be ready.ā€

Presenter Chris Evans said the NHS has been ā€œquite prevalentā€ in his life as his brother and mother were nurses and his father worked in a hospital.

ā€œWe need to treat them (better),ā€ he said. ā€œWe should (all) do as much as we can (to help the NHS).ā€

Former England footballer David Seaman said: ā€œItā€™s something that we take for granted and itā€™s not until you really need it and you realise, when you need it, and theyā€™re always there.ā€

Comedian Al Murray said ā€œwe are very luckyā€ to have the NHS.

He added: ā€œIt means when I fell down the stairs on a railway station when I was 19 they fixed my elbow (and they delivered) my three daughters.ā€

Speaking about the current situation in the NHS, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: ā€œIn terms of the challenge in waiting lists, weā€™ve seen a massive increase between going into the pandemic when there was just over 1,000 people waiting more than 52 weeks.

ā€œSo now weā€™re over 400,000 and thatā€™s a real consequence of the challenges that we face from the pandemic.ā€

He said the health service would get Ā£6.6 billion over the next two years and the social care system Ā£2.8 billion, as outlined in Chancellor Jeremy Huntā€™s autumn statement.

Mr Barclay said the event was ā€œan opportunity to celebrate the amazing workā€ and ā€œdedicationā€ of the NHS.

Sir Keir also gave his thanks to the NHS, saing he was ā€œhumbledā€ by the health service and it ā€œwas particularly difficultā€ during Covid.

The Sunā€™s Who Cares Wins Awards will be broadcast on Channel 4 and All 4 on November 27 at 6.30pm.

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