Melanie C thinks her public image still doesn’t chime with her real-life self.
The 46-year-old pop star believes she’s been seen as a symbol of "ladette culture" since the 90s, but in reality, Melanie actually sees herself as "quite quiet" and "really gentle".
She shared: "I had this tomboy image and I loved my football, people thought I was a bit mouthy, a bit loud, part of that ladette culture.
"And, you know, I’m really quite quiet, and I’m really gentle. That was hard for me for a few years. I found it really confusing."
Melanie underwent therapy for clinical depression in the early 2000s.
And the chart-topping singer also admits that the arrival of her 11-year-old daughter Scarlet proved to be a turning point in her life.
She told the BBC: "Being a mum was so liberating because for the first time in my adult life, it wasn’t all about me.
"It made me not only realise I had a huge responsibility to her but I have a huge responsibility to myself. In being her teacher, I had to treat myself better."
Melanie has been having to teach Scarlet at home amid the coronavirus crisis, and she’s confessed they’ve managed "the bare minimum" in recent months.
The singer explained: "I hate it. My little girl’s pretty smart but she just can’t be bothered.
"And you know, someone said quite early on in this whole thing: ‘Think about how difficult it is, as an adult to motivate yourself at home – so imagine being a kid.’
"After that I thought, ‘OK, that’s good. As long as she’s doing something, it’s better than nothing.’"