EDDIE MURPHY SCARED OF 'SPICE GIRL' FANS

Eddie Murphy avoided the London premiere of 'Dreamgirls' because he was scared of Mel B fans, it has been alleged.The 'Nutty Professor' star won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his role in the film, but didn't promote the movie in the UK because he didn't want to be confronted by Spice Girls fans angry at the way he dumped pregnant Mel B. A source told the New York Daily News newspaper: "London is her turf, and Eddie knows Mel has a loyal fan base. He's afraid the UK's reaction to him won't be good because of what he did to her."The 45-year-old actor publicly dumped six-months-pregnant Mel on a Dutch talk show and has demanded a paternity test to prove he is the father of her baby. A spokesman for Eddie said: "He very much wanted to come to the UK premiere. Eddie not attending the UK premiere of 'Dreamgirls' had nothing to do with Ms. Brown or anything else. He was looking forward to going."The Golden Globe winner's representative said obligations to his film,'Norbit', which is released in the US on February 9, prevented him from attending the London premiere of 'Dreamgirls'. A spokesman for Mel B said: "The reason that the whole issue has been so public is because Eddie, for reasons best known to him, decided to discuss his relationship with Melanie in the media. Melanie had no idea that he was speaking to the media, so the whole thing was a terrible shock."