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Mel C reveals she developed an eating disorder when she was part of the Spice Girls

The star has opened up about her mental health battles

Singer Mel C has revealed she developed an eating disorder and was exercising “obsessively” when she was part of the Spice Girls.

The star, who was known as Sporty Spice in the iconic group, admitted she believed she had to achieve “perfection” to be a pop star.

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She told The Telegraph: “I thought I had to be a certain way to be deserving of everything that was happening to me… to be a popstar I had to be perfect, and that was my way of trying to achieve perfection.

“I’d never starved myself, but I wasn’t eating properly and I was exercising obsessively and all of my time with the Spice Girls I think I was probably living on adrenaline.”

“God only knows how I got through it and I think my body just got to the point where it was like – enough,” she added.

Mel was also diagnosed with depression back in 2000.

She was finally able to overcome the mental illness with medication, therapies and acupuncture.

Speaking about her personal battles last year Mel told the Mail Online: “When the Spice Girls were at their biggest, I couldn’t even really look at myself in the mirror because I didn’t like what I saw.

“Depression, eating disorders, obsessive over-exercising; I went through all of it.”

Mel rose to fame as part of the five-piece band but launched her solo career in 1999.

Late last year Mel opened up about being bullied during her time as part of the girl group.

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Speaking in an interview with Attitude at the time about her new single Version of Me, Mel said: “Version of Me is about being bullied. About being in a situation as a young adult where I felt bullied and how that has affected me, and moulded 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.”

When asked whether it was back in her Spice Girls days she said: “Yes. I’m not going to name names. But yes.

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

The girl group are set to reunite later this year but only three out of the five members will be involved.

Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown have planned to reform under the name GEM with a concert at Hyde Park this summer.

But Mel and Victoria Beckham reportedly declined to be involved.


Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)