Gulzar is expected to receive a sizeable divorce settlement

However, custody of 20-month-old Phoenix Chi is expected to go to the singer, also known as Scary Spice.

Dutch-born Gulzar and Brown, originally from Leeds, met in 1998 on the group's Spice World tour.

They married at a ceremony at their Buckinghamshire home but split up in January this year after a stormy 16-month union.

Despite their differences, Brown has stressed that Gulzar continues to be a good father to their child.

She recently said of him: "He's the father of my child and he's a very good dad."

The singer is now reported to be in a relationship with actor Max Beesley.

Poor performance

Brown has been in Japan promoting her first solo album Hot.

In the UK, the album - which was released last week - got off to a disappointing start when it entered the charts on Monday at number 28.

Hot came in well behind other new entries from pop veteran Sir Cliff Richard, rock band Placebo and The Beautiful South, which all made it into the top 10.

The album's low entry comes despite an extensive publicity campaign.