Spice Girls star Melanie Brown is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her father following his death in March (17).

Martin Brown lost his five-year battle with cancer at the age of 63, and now, five months on, Mel B has shared a sweet tribute to her dad on social media, admitting his passing has been tough for her to accept.

She has taken to Instagram to share an old photo of herself beaming beside her father at a red carpet event, revealing her regrets about having their time together cut short so prematurely.

"I just wanted one last hug and for you to no (sic) how much I really love you #ripdad," the mother-of-three captioned the snap.

In the accompanying hashtags, Mel B called herself a "daddy's girl", and branded him the "most important man in my life", adding, "i no your with me still (sic)".

The star previously used social media to announce her family's "great sadness" at Martin's loss.

Alongside a picture of her holding hands with her dad and her sister Danielle, she explained, "Both of us his children were by his side and would like to say thank you to St Gemma's (hospice in the U.K.) and all the doctors and nurses for there (sic) amazing care and support over the years."

"Please respect our privacy and let us as a united family grieve. With love and respect. Melanie and Danielle Brown," she added, ending the note, "Be Free Dad."

Melanie's heartache over her father's death comes as she continues to battle her estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, over spousal support. She filed for divorce in March (17) after almost 10 years of marriage, and subsequently accused the father of her five-year-old daughter Madison of physically and emotionally abusing her, leading her to obtain a temporary restraining order against him.

She is seeking to block her ex from obtaining spousal support, but last month (Jul17), Mel suffered a blow in her efforts as she was ordered to pay Belafonte $40,000 a month in temporary support.

A full divorce hearing is set to take place on 25 September (17).