Eddie Murphy has publicly acknowledged he's the father Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown's baby.

A brief statement issued by Murphy's publicist said the 46-year-old star of "Dreamgirls" and the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies "always has and will continue to honor his responsibilities as a father."

The admission comes after Mel B brought a paternity suit against Murphy earlier this week and she was thought to be 'teaming up' with his ex-wife.

The Spice Girl and Murphy's other ex Nicole Mitchell, who divorced the Hollywood superstar in 2006, spent the afternoon enjoying a "really friendly" lunch - in a scene which would no doubt send shivers down Murphy's spine.

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Angel Iris got to meet her half-sister, five-year-old Bella Zahra - Mitchell youngest child with Eddie

Brown and her laywer Gloria Allred has earlier held a press conference claiming Murphy "had not paid on penny of child support" for their 3-month-old daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

Allred said the lawsuit seeks to legally establish paternity and asks for unspecified child support.

Joining Mel B and Mitchell for the lunch at the exclusive Ivy restaurant in Beverly Hills, were Angel Iris and 5-year-old Bella Zahra, Murphy's youngest child with Nicole.

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Eddie's former women share a joke while Nicole plays with Angel Iris

"They seemed really friendly toward one another," a source tells People.com. "They had a pretty private meal in the back corner, away from all of us."

Brown, 32, dated Murphy last year following his divorce from Mitchell after 12 years of marriage. The couple have five children together.

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Exes united: Mel B (and baby Angel Iris) enjoy a lunch date with the former Mrs Eddie Murphy, Nicole Mitchell

During her six-month relationship with Murphy, Brown claims they they discussed marriage and planned to have children together.

However they soon split after Mel B announced her pregnancy and Murphy questioned whether he was the father in a television interview.

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The Spice Girl with Angel Iris, her second daughter. She is already mum to Phoenix Chi

A DNA test in June confirmed that Murphy is the father of Brown's baby, Angel Iris, who was born in April.

Murphy became engaged to his new girlfriend Tracey Edmonds earlier this week.

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Mel B says her and Murphy, who dated for six months, talked about marriage before their acriminous split

Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell married in 1993. They divorced last year just months before he started dating Mel B