7 DAYS I’ll never top the success the Spice Girls had

Melanie C tells MARION McMULLEN she’ll never top being a Spice Girl, but nothing beats singing her own music

MELANIE C says what she wants, what she really, really wants is to see some of her biggest tattoos vanish forever.

The former Spice Girl has had around a dozen tattoos over the years and boasts a dragon on her leg and a large Celtic cross on her arm, but admits she regrets a lot of the body art and would be unhappy if her daughter Scarlet ever got inked.

“I have a love hate relationship with the tattoos,” confesses Melanie, “you change, your tastes change, fashion changes and you make different choices.

“Tattoos are so popular these days and so many people have them but, yeah, they do hurt. It’s ridiculous, they hurt, they are expensive and they are very difficult to remove. I love tattoos as well and they can be beautiful works of art, but I regret some of my larger ones.”

She laughs: “My mother got a tattoo with me, but my Dad is not a fan and I wouldn’t like my daughter to have a tattoo on her beautiful, perfect skin.”

So has seven-year-old Scarlet inherited her mum’s singing talent? “She loves singing, dancing and sport. Kids have so many great opportunities to explore what they like now. I was eight when I started becoming passionate about performing. She is seven now so we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.

“I did ballet classes and just loved being on stage, that whole buzz, and my Mum is a singer and I was so proud of her. I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. I want my daughter to do whatever makes her happy.

“She’s grown up knowing what I do. I didn’t want it to be weird for her at all and she loves the Spice Girls and is proud of what I’ve done although,” Melanie adds with a grin, “most of the time I’m just silly mummy or sometimes mean mum apparently.”

The performer born Melanie Chisholm famously brought girl power to the world as part of the Spice Girls with Geri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton and Mel B.

Wannabe was number one in 63 countries and hit after hit followed including 2 Become One, Spice Up Your Life and Who Do You Think You Are, while Spice World: The Movie featured appearances by everyone from Bob Geldof, Elton John and Stephen Fry to Melanie with her fellow Spice Girls, Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham Roger Moore, Elvis Costello and Jools Holland.

The group were back for the 2012 London Olympics, but Melanie and Victoria have both ruled themselves out of a Spice Girl reunion next year.

“Everything I’ve done in my life I have been passionate about,” explains Melanie. “I’ll never top the success we had with the Spice Girls, but it was important to me then to experience myself as an individual and to go out and hold an audience alone.

“I was absolutely petrified the first time I went on stage by myself. It was so scary, like anything new, but it was also so rewarding. I loved the challenge. You are always planning and improving the performance. You never get to a point when you think it can’t be better.

“Many years of experience have helped me with the nerves. I stay calm until the 11th hour when I go out on stage and then there is a surge of adrenalin. I think you need that.”

Since going solo back in 1999, Melanie has enjoyed two number one singles, six top 10 singles and more than three million album sales. She has also enjoyed acting success appearing as Mrs Johnstone on stage in the musical Blood Brothers and Mary Magdalene in the arena tour of Jesus Christ