Mel C is opening up about a heated argument with Victoria Beckham that almost cost her a place in the Spice Girls before the group became a global phenomenon.
During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the singer, whose full name is Melanie Chisholm, recalled being warned that she could be fired from the group after an expletive-filled exchange with Beckham at the 1996 BRIT Awards.
A Night of Celebration Took an Unexpected Turn
Looking back on the evening, Mel C said the Spice Girls weren’t yet household names because they hadn’t released their breakout hit “Wannabe.” Still, the group was enjoying a memorable night, sipping champagne and even sharing a table with rock star Lenny Kravitz.
But the celebration ended on a sour note.
As the group was leaving the event to head to their car, Mel C said she suddenly snapped at Beckham.
“Whatever the situation was, I just turned around and said, ‘Victoria, f— off,'” she recalled. “I went home, went to bed, woke up the next morning, and I was in a lot of trouble.”
Bandmates Were ‘Disgusted’
According to Mel C, the fallout was immediate.
She said Mel B and Geri Halliwell confronted her the next day and told her they were “disgusted” by her behavior. The group’s management also made it clear that another outburst like that could end her time in the band.
“I was told in no uncertain terms that if anything ever happened like that again, I would be gone,” she said. “That completely freaked me out.”
The warning left her fearing she’d thrown away the opportunity she’d dreamed about since childhood.
“I thought I was going to lose everything over something so trivial,” she admitted, explaining that she worried she had jeopardized the future she had worked so hard to achieve.
Mel C Recently Reflected on Life in the Spice Girls
The revelation is the latest in a series of candid stories Mel C has shared about her time with the iconic girl group.
Earlier this year, she joked during an appearance on Cosmopolitan’s Blind Date that Mel B was the member who was the most “boy crazy” during the band’s rise to fame, saying she had the best “success rate” when it came to attracting attention.
She also addressed the long-running speculation about her sexuality during an interview on The Mitch Churi Chat Show.
Mel C said people often assumed she was gay because of her sporty style and the way she dressed as Sporty Spice.
“I don’t personally have a problem with that,” she explained. “It’s none of their business. But to base it on somebody’s appearance or how they dress, I always thought that was pretty unfair.”
Life Outside the Spotlight
Outside of her music career, Mel C is mom to 17-year-old daughter Scarlett, whom she shares with former partner Thomas Starr. She has also been dating Australian model Chris Dingwall since late 2023.
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