Mel C didn’t wannabe on the outs with the Spice Girls.
Sporty Spice—who was a member of the iconic girl group from its formation in 1994 until the ladies went their separate ways in 2001—revealed the comment she made to then-bandmate Victoria Beckham that nearly got her kicked out of the ensemble.
The incident occurred after the 1996 BRIT Awards, where Mel C noted her bandmates—including Beckham, Mel B, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton—were “having fun.”
“We were just leaving, we were going to find our car, and whatever the situation was, I just turned around and go, ‘Victoria, f--k off,’” Mel C recalled on a recent episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast. “I go home, go to bed, I wake up the next morning, and I was in a lot of trouble.”
Though the 52-year-old (born Melanie Jayne Chisholm) didn’t reveal what led to her choice words towards Posh Spice, the comment certainly ruffled some feathers, especially for Mel B and Halliwell who told her they were “disgusted” with her behavior at the time.
And the disapproval didn’t stop there. Indeed, Mel C recalled how the group’s manager also called her into a meeting over the comment.
“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.”
“I went into terror because I thought I was gonna lose everything,” she continued. “Those dreams as a child, which now were a possibility, I might have f--ked it all up. And I thought it was very trivial as well.”
After the incident, the fear of losing everything she’d worked for eventually led to a decline in her mental health.
"A tiny little thing I didn't think was that bad could have jeopardized my whole dream," she told People in 2020. "So it made me really self-police. That got to the point of me being very controlling in different areas of my life. Losing control freaked me out."
"I felt like I had to make myself perfect to really deserve all of this wonderful success," she added. "We were so ambitious, it was nuts. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves because we knew we had something very special, and we didn't want to mess it up."
For a look back at the Spice Girls through the years, read on…
The Spice Girls became a global success upon the release of "Wannabe" in 1996. Considered the best-selling female group of all time, the British songstresses have sold over 85 million records worldwide.
The girl group rocked the stage at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City with a performance of "Say You'll Be There." They took home Best Dance Video for "Wannabe" that year.
Lucky, Prince Harry! The young royal is pictured with his father, Prince Charles, during a 1997 meet and greet with the Spice Girls.
Ginger Spice's Union Jack mini-dress became synonymous with the Spice Girls after their performance at the 1997 Brit Awards. Initial controversy aside, the iconic ensemble sold for more than $58,000 at a a charity auction.
Released in December 1997, Spice World: The Movie became an instant blockbuster hit. Two decades later, it remains a cult phenomenon and recently even returned to theaters in the U.K. to celebrate the milestone anniversary!
Posh, Scary, Sporty, Baby and Ginger Spice come together for a 1998 photo opp. Two years later, they'd announce their decision to put Spice Girls on the back burner for a renewed focus on their respective solo careers.
The Spice Girls made a comeback in 2007 with a global tour that sold out in a whopping 38 seconds. That same year, the ladies hit the stage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Hollywood.
After four years apart, the girl group reunited once again to celebrate the premiere of Viva Forever!, a musical inspired by their time in the spotlight.
At the closing ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, the fivesome performed a medley of greatest hits like "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life."
In 2016, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton announced a spinoff trio called GEM. A single titled "Song for Her" leaked online, but the project was evidently put on hold around the time Halliwell announced her pregnancy with baby No. 2.
Cue the pandemonium! All five Spice Girls sent social media into a frenzy with this photo posted in February 2018.
They responded to the excitement in a joint statement, saying, "We have enjoyed a wonderful afternoon catching-up and reminiscing about the amazing times we have spent together. We are always overwhelmed at how much interest there is across the whole world for The Spice Girls. The time now feels right to explore some incredible new opportunities together. We all agree that there are many exciting possibilities that will once again embrace the original essence of The Spice Girls, while reinforcing our message of female empowerment for future generations."
After announcing in late 2018 that four of the five Spice Girls would be reuniting once more for a tour—Victoria sat this one out to focus on the commitment to her fashion empire—Geri, Emma and the Mels began a 13-date European tour at Croake Park in Dublin, Ireland on May 24, 2019. Concluding with three nights at London's Wembley Stadium, the tour earned over $78 million, proving that Girl Power never goes out of style.