PA
Massive sympathy for Mel B, who has been papped in the full throes of labour. Can you imagine anything more intrusive?
She'd have been well within her rights to turn Scary Spice at the photographers - but was probably in too much pain.
The former Spice Girl was photographed obviously having contractions, her face contorted in a grimace, leaning on her husband Stephen Belafonte and a bodyguard for support as they entered the Cedars Sinai hospital in Beverley Hills in the early hours of the morning.
Unable to settle during the night, at 4am Mel had tweeted her husband was 'cooking me chicken and greens. I have the best hubby ever'. His cooking seemed to have done the trick - and just hours later she was heading for the hospital.
Earlier this week Mel - whose full name is Melanie Brown - gave a radio show a little bit too much information with her list of everything she had tried to induce labour.
She said: 'Ideally I want it to come naturally. 'But I've tried everything, I've tried the hot food, the running, the sex, the violence, I've tried it all. It just seems to be stuck and hibernating in there getting bigger and bigger, so it's coming out this week for sure.'
The 36-year-old singer and TV presenter has two daughters Phoenix Chi, 12, from her first marriage to dancer Jimmy Gulzar, and Angel, four, from her relationship with Eddie Murphy.
The sex of their first baby will be a surprise for Mel and TV producer Stephen.
We wish her all the very best.
UPDATE, UPDATE - Mel's baby is born