Melanie Brown and Stephen BelafonteMelanie Brown and husband Stephen Belafonte had a rude welcome at Heathrow airport yesterday when a man began shouting threats at Stephen.

The couple, along with 18 month old daughter Angel, arrived in London on a flight from Los Angeles around 3pm local time but as they went to leave the airport, the man approached Stephen and began to shout at him. A paparazzi photographer tried to defend the couple and had a brief scuffle with the man but the man continued to threaten Stephen, saying “I’ll get a knife and stab you” and also making gun shapes with his hands.

The couple retreated further back into the airport where police arrested the man - although it’s unclear whether he’ll be charged with a crime. The former Spice Girl, her producer husband and the photographers on the scene are all expected to give statements.

An onlooker added: “Stephen was understandably quite freaked out by it all but Mel just thought it was funny.”