Yes – the spice girls are back! 18 years after the band split up, and 6 years after all five members performed at the London Olympics, four of the spice girls are heading back on tour. With Victoria Beckham deciding not to partake, Geri Horner, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm will be performing across the UK and delighting their fans once again.
Whether you are a fan or not, they are iconic figures of the 90’s and of girl power. They’ve lived their lives in the public eye, they’ve loved, suffered from eating disorders, earnt millions, lost millions (some of them!) and although not admitted suffering it, laughed knowingly at the menopause jokes recently with John Bishop! We look at the lives of the latest line up of the Spice Girls.
A few facts you probably didn’t know about the Spice Girls
- They were originally called ‘Touch’ until Geri changed their name to Spice
- Michelle Stephenson was an original member of the band, replaced in 1994 by Emma
- Wannabee’s video was banned in some parts of Asia as Mel B’s nipples were on show!
- Hard Rock Café auctioned off Geri’s union jack dress in 1998 – it made £41,320!
- Victoria is the only band member without a solo number 1
- Nelson Mandela is quoted as telling them “you are my heroes”
- Simon Cowell regrets not signing them
Geri
Age 46
Geri grew up in Watford and worked as a glamour model before auditioning for the Spice Girls in 1994. They managed to secure a record deal with Virgin Records, something Simon Cowell regrets!
Sadly, during this time, she was self-conscious of her figure and developed bulimia. She describes feeling the need to control her weight as a “coping mechanism” for her new-found fame. Later she was diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia. Geri now has a more balanced life, living in the country with her two children, animals and hubby. She keeps herself fit with PT sessions and yoga, and apparently follows a low carb diet.
Mel C
Age 44
Mel grew up in Whiston, Merseyside and went to a dance school in Kent, where she enjoyed Karate and trained as a ballet coach. In the 1990’s, she answered an ad in Stage for an audition with the Spice Girls. Known as ‘sporty spice’, Mel felt pressure to retain her figure. Regularly spending 3 hours a day in the gym, the pressure caused clinical depression and an eating disorder. She has since sought help and has a healthy outlook on life. She has dabbled in the odd bit of Botox to stay as youthful as possible, although she has said that she is nervous when she does it as she doesn’t want to end up with a frozen face. Not to mention she stays fit as she has competed in the London Triathlon a few times!
Mel B
Age 43
Mel grew up in Harehills, Leeds. She studied performing arts in Leeds before she worked as a dancer in Blackpool. Her music career began when she saw an advert for an audition for a group known as Touch. The group left the original management team, teamed up with music manager Simon Fuller and the rest is history!
Mel has remarked that she believes in being ‘the best version of yourself’, and loving yourself so that you don’t have to take the drastic measures of going under the knife. She does, however, stop the ageing process with a cosmetic facelift which produces collagen and elastin. She claims her large breasts are due to having children, although she did have breast implants at one point and had them removed due to hardening. Mel keeps herself in shape and likes to workout at 7 am with either a run or a gym session. She recently entered rehab for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol and sex addiction.
Emma
Age 42
Emma grew up in Finchley, North London and attended the Sylvia Young Drama School in London. Along with various modelling assignments for products like Mothercare, Mentadent P toothpaste and Polly Pocket, she also auditioned and appeared in minor roles in the EastEnders and The Bill. Emma joined the Spice Girls in 1993, after Michelle Stephenson left. After being warned she may not be able to have children when diagnosed with endometriosis in her 20’s, Emma now has two lovely boys from her long relationship with Jade Jones. She likes to be curvy although she did hit the gym to get rid of baby weight. She said she was definitely at her fittest after her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, (a recommendation to anyone, Angela Rippon dances around her living room to stay in shape!)
Emma isn’t one for discussing any form of surgery, fillers etc. although she did say that she had no objection to giving nature a helping hand. ‘I am hoping to grow old gracefully. But when it comes to Botox, I would never say never. Everyone has a right to do their own thing, so who knows? There is pressure to look and feel good when you’re having your picture taken all the time.’
All of the spice girls seem to have found a healthier and balanced approach to life. Ageing is a journey, and each of them is entering midlife in their own way and showing that there is more than one way to be happy and body positive.
Tour Dates – June 2019
Manchester Etihad Stadium – Sat 1st
Coventry Ricoh Arena – Mon 3rd
Sunderland Stadium of Light – Thu 6th
Edinburgh BT Murrayfield Stadium – Sat 8th
Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium – Mon 10th
London Wembley Stadium – Sat 15th
