Mel B celebrates 50th birthday with leopard print themed party in Leeds

I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want...to celebrate turning 50 with all my family and friends.

Mel B - one fifth of the Spice Girls - led the pack by throwing a leopard print themed birthday bash for her nearest and dearest.

The singer formerly known as Scary Spice booked Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and bar Habbibi in her hometown of Leeds for a night of frivolity.

And the birthday girl wowed in a sequin leopard print mini dress with dramatic shoulder pads as she partied with partner Rory McPhee, mum Andrea Brown, and children Angel, 18, and Phoenix, 26, for the glamorous gathering.

The twice-married mum-of-two was also joined by her fellow bandmates Emma Bunton and Mel C, but Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell-Horner were no-shows.

However, her absent girl power sidekicks did pay tribute by uniting to send birthday messages accompanied by throwback pictures of their heyday.

On a night when everyone received the dress code memo Baby Spice Emma, 49, turned up alongside her husband Jade Jones in a leopard print mini dress.

Sporty Spice Mel C donned a leopard V-neck maxi dress and trademark trainers, joining the fun with her Australian model boyfriend Chris Dingwall.

Also in attendance was comedian Leigh Francis and his wife Jill Carter, who turned up with a cake.

Sharing a photo of the pair from the nineties Geri, 52, wished Mel a "very wonderful year ahead", while Victoria, 51, marked her milestone by sharing a picture of the pair from a 1998 visit to Tokyo, Japan.

Emma joked "I'm not far behind you!", while Mel C jokingly called her best mate a "northern nutter".

The Spice Girls were formed in 1994 and took the world by storm with a string of hits including Wannabe, 2 Become 1, and Viva Forever and even a 1997 blockbuster film, Spice World The Movie, starring the bandmates, Richard E. Grant and the late Sir Roger Moore.