Mel C says "nothing" could have prepared her for fame.
The 46-year-old singer – whose full name is Melanie Chisholm – shot to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Spice Girls, and has said that whilst she has had "incredible experiences" thanks to her fame, she has also found being in the spotlight "exhausting" at times.
She explained: "There’s nothing that can prepare you for fame. Although you’re achieving your dreams, it’s hard. With all the incredible experiences you have, there’s a lot of weird stuff to deal with. You’re being written about. Everybody has an opinion on you. You’re away from home a lot, and you’re working very long hours – it’s exhausting."
Mel and her band mates – Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner, and Victoria Beckham – were "commented on constantly" during the height of the Spice Girls’ fame, and the star has said it was a "knock to her self-esteem" to read negative things about herself.
She added: "I was photographed and commented on constantly. It was hard to have our appearances, our personalities, our abilities, our talents – or ‘lack’ of them – commented on. I’d always been pretty confident, but it was a knock to my self-esteem."
And following her rise to fame, the ‘Wannabe’ hitmaker was pushed into an eating disorder, as she felt food was the only part of her life she had "control" over.
She said: "So much of my life was out of control. So I controlled my eating, my exercise – everything I possibly could. I was underweight for a couple of years, and it was very damaging for my mental health.
"I felt like I had to make myself perfect to really deserve all of this wonderful success. We were all so ambitious, it was nuts."
Mel also began suffering from depression, and said she "didn’t realise" she was battling the mental health condition until her doctor told her to "address" the problem with a therapist.
The singer also began using antidepressants, and with time, she started to beat back her depression as well as her eating disorder.
And now, Mel would encourage everyone to seek help because they "deserve" it.
Speaking to People magazine, she said: "Everyone deserves to be happy. People ask me what I would say to my younger self, and I would say to her, ‘There is a better life that you deserve, and you should be living it.’ That’s true of anyone and everyone. So many people suffer, but there is help, and you deserve it. You deserve an amazing life. Don’t lose hope."