Mel C: “It’s so important that we’re kind to ourselves”
As the Spice Girl takes on a new coaching role on The Voice Kids, Mel C reveals the downsides to fame, and how she tackled depression
She knows all too well the highs and lows of being in the spotlight from a young age, having been one-fifth of global pop group The Spice Girls in her twenties.
Now, Mel C – aka “Sporty Spice” – will be passing on her knowledge and advice to young aspirational singers, as last week it was revealed she’ll be replacing Paloma Faith on The Voice Kids for the next series.
Speaking of her new venture, Mel, 47, said, “I am super excited… I can’t wait to get in one of those big red chairs and spice things up.”
Mel and her bandmates released their first single, Wannabe, in 1994, which quickly became one of the biggest-selling debut records of all time. They split in 2001, but reunited in 2019 for a reunion tour, although without Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, who refused to take part. And now, four members of the iconic girl group – Mel C, Mel B, 45, Geri Horner,
48, and Emma Bunton, 45 – are said to be hoping for a world tour in 2021, as soon as coronavirus restrictions allow, as they prepare to mark their 25th anniversary.
And with her new role as a mentor on
The Voice Kids in the pipeline, Mel can’t help but reflect on her time being thrust into the limelight and her subsequent battles with depression and anorexia.
BREAKING POINT
Mel tells Closer, “As a young person aspiring to be famous, you don’t really consider the negatives. Sometimes people say, ‘Be careful what you wish for’.
“Our worlds completely changed, and you’re dealing with intrusion into your personal life and hearing everybody’s opinion on you – a lot of it is quite harsh and cruel sometimes.
“I think I’d been running on empty for a long time. Travelling a lot, working long hours – you’re living on adrenaline and it’s unsustainable. And along with that, I was exercising obsessively, and I wasn’t eating properly. There’s only so much of that your body can take.”
Finally, in 2000, the Cheshire native reached breaking point.
She recalls, “I was on holiday with my family and I was very tearful, lethargic, I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt hopeless – I wasn’t excited about anything, I wasn’t looking forward to anything. It was an alien feeling for me. It really scared me. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with depression – it was such a relief, because I knew it was something I could be helped with.”
For the next 18 months, Mel took medication and had counselling to help her cope. She insists she’s in a much better place now – not only aware of her triggers but also of the tools she can put in place in times of crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
SELF-ACCEPTANCE
Mel – who shares 11-year-old daughter Scarlet with her ex, property developer Thomas Starr, from whom she split in
2012 – says, “It’s so important that we’re kind to ourselves. I was having my good days, but there’s always a bad day thrown into the mix. I had another little bout of depression, probably after my relationship breaking down with my child’s father. It was inevitable that I would need help again. But then I got myself back on my feet.”
And the star – who says her new album, Melanie C, is about “self-acceptance, being comfortable in your own skin and not being afraid any more” – says she laughs off speculation over her love life, including claims that she’s gay.
Mel, who has been dating her manager, Joe Marshall, since 2015, says, “I have friends who have only got to know me later on and they’re like, ‘There was no question in my mind that you were a lesbian.’ It’s so funny. I’ve had lesbians say to me, ‘You are a lesbian’, and I’m like, ‘I’m so confused – I don’t think I am, but maybe I am!’ I don’t give it much thought.
“I work a lot with the LGBTQ+ community and I very much feel a part of that community, even though I don’t really fit into any of those labels. But I really don’t mind being called a lesbian. There have been times in my life where I’ve thought, ‘I wish I was a lesbian!’”
● Mel’s eighth solo album Melanie C is out now