Eddie Murphy Skips Premiere Due to Ex-Girlfriend's Angry Fans

Eddie Murphy skipped the recent London premiere of "Dreamgirls" because he was trying to avoid fans of ex-girlfriend former Spice Girl Mel Brown.

The "Nutty Professor" star publicly dumped the 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 said, "London is her turf, and Eddie knows Mel has a loyal fan base. He's afraid the U.K.'s reaction to him won't be good because of what he did to her."

A spokesman for Eddie said, "He very much wanted to come to the U.K. premiere. Eddie not attending the U.K. premiere of "Dreamgirls" had nothing to do with Ms. Brown or anything else. He was looking forward to going."

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."