We salute the celebrity mummies who've had more than just dirty nappies and late night feeds to contend with. Nobody said motherhood was a breeze

Mel B

When ex-Spice Girl Mel B bagged herself a slice of Hollywood royalty, the actor and comedian Eddie Murphy, we could hardly believe it. The news that she was carrying his baby swiftly followed and it seemed that 'unlucky in love' Melanie was finally onto a winner. But the relationship was short-lived with poor Mel being the last one to know she'd been dumped.

According to Mel, Murphy had been really supportive about the pregnancy which is why she was so shocked to hear that he had been on a Dutch television to say: 'We're not together any more. And I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions.'

The usually brash 'scary spice' remained relatively dignified over the controversy and gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on 3 April 2007.

'She's gorgeous,' Mel told OK! magazine. 'She has taken the best bits of both of us. He will always be a part of my life. I will always love him. I couldn't hate Eddie. We had a dream life. If he wants to do a DNA test, then do it. Step up to the plate and be responsible. I have no doubt that this is Eddie's baby.'

You stick to your guns Mel. Just don't take the Nutty Professor back!

Marcia Cross

On screen as Desperate Housewife Bree Van De Kamp she's a devoted mother, but in real life, 45-year-old actress Marcia Cross struggled to come to terms with the fact that she might never experience the joy of motherhood.

A week after her marriage to Tom Mahoney in June of last year, the couple took the unusual step of cancelling their planned honeymoon in Europe in order to give artificial fertilisation a try.

Luckily for them it worked, and Cross was soon pregnant with twins. It wasn't all plain sailing though as a month before her due date, the actress was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a condition characterised by high blood pressure that can be life-threatening to both mother and baby. Doctors decided to deliver her twins via caesarean section four weeks early on February 20 2007. It took nine weeks of bed rest for Cross to fully recover from the procedure.

She's now the proud mum of two gorgeous baby girls, Savannah and Eden, and, it seems, is as efficient a mother as she is an actress, having mastered the art of breastfeeding two at a time. Bree would be proud. Well done Mama Marcia!

Sheryl Crow

Singer Sheryl Crow, 45, has had something of a rough time of it over the past 18 months. In the same month as her break-up with long-term boyfriend, cyclist Lance Armstrong, in February 2006, she also made the alarming discovery that she had breast cancer. But after weeks of successful treatment, she is finally back on top of her game. As her recent Stop Global Warming college tour came to a close she made the following announcement on her website:

'I am so excited to share with you guys that I've adopted a little boy. He was born two weeks ago. His name is Wyatt (after my Dad) Steven (after my little brother) and we are enjoying some very private family time.'

That's the spirit Sheryl. Good on ya girl!

Angelina Jolie

Whatever your views on the adoption of orphans abroad, there's no doubting Angelina Jolie's heartfelt devotion to her children. The stunning actress seems to lead a picture-perfect life, having swiped Brad Pitt from under Jennifer Aniston's nose, starred in a series of Hollywood blockbusters and created the perfect family unit in just a few years.

Jolie admits the intense bond she had with her own mother, actress Marcheline Bertrand, is partly responsible for her own undeniably strong maternal instincts. When Bertrand passed away aged just 56 earlier this year after a seven-year battle with cancer, Jolie was understandably heartbroken and distraught.

But despite her grief, Jolie took the brave step of going ahead with her planned adoption of a three-year-old orphaned boy and travelled to Vietnam to pick up Pax, the latest addition to the ever-growing 'Brangelina' brood.

We applaud her bravery, but do hope she hasn't bitten off more than she (and Brad) can chew.