Mel B has insisted she won't be acting like her boys' mother on the current series of The X Factor.
Currently in the process of deciding who will make her top three in scenes that air tonight on the show, Mel thinks tough love is what it takes to get the best out of her contestants.
Mel B and Emma Bunton / Credit: ITVSpeaking to The Sun newspaper she explained: "Boys can do whatever they want, they are boys. As long as they are respectful about it and whoever they are with, who am I to say anything?
"I'm not their mother. They are responsible for themselves.
"You show up to work and you prepare yourself. What you do in your personal life is up to you, as long as it doesn't affect your work."
She does however state that she's open to providing emotional support to the guys if they come to her.
"I can be a hard-**s, a bad-**s, and I can be very emotional and very connected.
"I'm not working with girls -- I expect them to be emotional and open up, but boys are boys.
"You can't force a boy to tell you how he's feeling. If they want to tell me, they can tell me ."
Mel also revealed all of the judges are "hungry" for success on the series this year, but she's unsure who could take the crown.
"All of our judging styles are pretty different and that's why this panel works. We respect each other and agree to disagree. We can have a little bit of a fight and laugh about it two seconds later but still have our point to prove.
"Everyone is hungry for that competition. That competitiveness is inside all four of us.
"They're all dark horses and we've all got really strong categories. Anyone could win."
The X Factor continues tonight as Mel B chooses her final three for this year's live shows, 8pm on ITV.
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