Mel C says things are "awkward" between the Spice Girls.
The 42-year-old singer decided to join Victoria Beckham in refusing to take part in a reunion of the famous girlband with Mel B, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton and has admitted that not everyone took the decision well.
She told Event magazine: "It’s a bit awkward at the moment to be honest. It’s going to be, isn’t it? But I do know we’ll get past it. We’ve all been through so much together, and we’re these five girls who did this incredible thing and that will unite us forever.
"My nightmare is that people think I’m turning down the Spice Girls because I think my own album is going to be bigger. I don’t. I know it won’t be.’
Although Mel – who turned down "a couple of million pounds" to reunite with the band – loved being in the Spice Girls, eating disorders and depression left her emotionally fragile during her time with the group.
She said: "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.
"It just didn’t feel right to go back. I loved what we did as the Spice Girls and part of me will be Sporty Spice until I die. We had one reunion [in 2007] and I didn’t want to do that. But I was talked round and it was the right thing to do, we had a great time and then we played at the closing ceremony for the Olympics in 2012. That to me was where [the Spice Girls] should have been laid to rest. Sometimes you just have to say no."
However, Mel – who has a daughter Scarlett, seven, with her ex Thomas Starr – admitted that the decision to say no to the latest reunion was not an easy one.
She said: "I’d like to say the money didn’t matter to me. I’m a single mother and I do have financial concerns.’
"It was a really difficult decision. I didn’t take it lightly. I did go quite far down the route with the girls. I went to a lot of meetings but I just didn’t feel it was right in my gut. When I finally said no I just felt relief.’
"I made a lot in the Spice Girls but I spent a hell of a lot and had fun spending it."
Mel C: ‘Things are awkward between the Spice Girls’
