
Mel B’s response to Mollie Winnard’s role as a victim of domestic violence in the BBC smash drama Happy Valley left her speechless.
The Coronation Street actress, 25, plays Joanna Hepworth in the Sally Wainwright series with James Norton as Tommy Lee Royce and Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood.
Joanna is married to the cruel and poisonous Rob Hepworth (Mark Stanley), who beats up his wife on a daily basis and controls every area of her life, including locking the fridge to prevent her from eating outside of his appointed hours.
Mel B, who has been candid about her experience with domestic abuse and has advocated for women’s rights since her divorce from producer Stephen Belafonte, who denies the charges, said the narrative spoke to her.
In The Independent, the 47-year-old praised Mollie’s portrayal of Joanna, writing that the ‘glassy-eyed and bruised’ figure ‘wasn’t a lady I knew, this was a woman I was’.
Mollie commented about how honoured she was to have done a ‘truthful’ performance ahead of the series finale, claiming she sobbed when she first learnt of the pop icon’s reaction.


She said: ‘I did cry a little, I’m not gonna lie.
‘When I was younger, I actually used to have the Spice Girls’ videotape and I’ve been a massive fan of the Spice Girls all my life.
‘To hear that kind of praise, from somebody who I’ve always kind of thought was amazing, just made everything worth it.
‘Especially because she’s already been through what Joanna has been through; the fact that I’ve therefore given a truthful portrayal, that’s all the praise I want to hear really.’
She added: ‘Mel B is such an inspirational woman for overcoming that.’
Mollie, whose character Joanna is murdered by villainous pharmacist Faisal Bhatti (Amit Shah), has stated that she has no clue how Happy Valley ends – and that she, like the rest of the country, is looking forward to seeing the conclusion on Saturday.
Of course, all the actors have been staying extremely quiet about the drama’s climax, however Neil Ackryod actor Con O’Neill said it was ‘amazing’ while James, 37, hailed it as ‘wonderful’.
Happy Valley concludes on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Who to call if you need help
For emotional support you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, run by Refuge and Women’s Aid, on 0808 2000 247.
If you are in an LGBT relationship you can also call the helpline run by Broken Rainbow and Galop UK, on 0300 999 5428 or 0800 9995428.
Male victims can call also the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0327.