Mel C opens up about bullying during Spice Girls years: ‘I’m not going to name names’

In the 20 years since Wannabe changed the course of pop history forever, the Spice Girls have endured as many dramas, fall-outs and splits as you can expect from any girl band. And in this month’s Attitude, the artist formerly known as Sporty revealed how her new album, Version of Me, deals with the negative side to the band’s astronomical success.

“Version of Me is about being bullied,” Mel explained. “About being in a situation as a young adult where I felt bullied and how that has affected me, and molded me in a way.

“Unfortunately, being bullied can really damage people and even when you are stronger and over it, it can still be in the background – undermining you. I hope people will Identify with that track.”

Asked if the bullying occurred during her time in the Spice Girls, Mel replies: “Yes. I’m not going to name names. But yes.”

She continues: “It’s been addressed, they were aware of what they’d done. They apologised.”

Reflecting on her time in the group, the 42-year-old explains that she would have liked to have been “a bit stronger,” admitting she let certain people in her life take advantage of her.

“Now I’m older,” she insists, “I’m a lot more confident and I will not be shat upon. But when I was younger I let people shit on me. What’s done is done but I’d have liked to have been a bit stronger.

“When we were kids we were so hard on each other and so determined to succeed that if anybody fell out of line they were quickly brought back in. That was quite a lot of pressure to live under.”

Read our full interview with Mel C, as well as our exclusive interview and naked shoot with Robbie Williams in full in the December issue of Attitude Magazine, which is out NOW on digital (pocketmags.com/attitude) and in shops. Available internationally from www.newsstand.co.uk/attitude.

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