Eddie Murphy with Tracey EdmondsA friend of Melanie Brown’s has accused Eddie Murphy’s family of driving a wedge between Eddie and the former Spice Girl.

A source claiming to be a friend of Mel’s told the Mirror: “Mel and Eddie had been rowing a lot about his family, most of whom are on his payroll.”

“They were suspicious of Mel because she got pregnant so quickly after they met.”

Despite only meeting in June, Mel is rumoured to be around five months pregnant, suggesting she conceived during one of the first times they had sex and in a recent interview for Dutch television recently, Eddie revealed he doesn’t think he’s the father of the child.

The friend added: “Mel is not that sort of girl. It’s 100 per cent his.”

“She’s been talking about how much she’s looking forward to having his baby while he has been saying things like that. She is absolutely devastated.”

A second source told the Sun that the news that Eddie took new girlfriend Tracey Edmonds to the premiere of his new film Dreamgirls in New York on Monday night was the first Mel heard about Eddie’s new relationship, even though Tracey told People magazine they’d been together for a month and a half.

The source told the newspaper: “She wasn’t even aware that she had been dumped. The news is a massive blow to her confidence and pride.”