Mel C feels guilty that she didn’t do more to get her Spice Girls bandmate Mel B out of her toxic marriage to her ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.
Mel B – known as Scary Spice in the band – divorced Stephen in 2017 claiming he had been physically abusive and controlling throughout their union, allegations which she went into further detail in her memoir ‘Brutally Honest’ and that he has always denied.
Mel C – whose real name is Melanie Chisholm – admits that she wanted to do more to get her friend out of that relationship and feels "s**t" that she didn’t do more to make her see sense.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, she said: "What happened to Melanie was so horrific. There were quite a few tears shed over the time we spent together because we hadn’t been together day after day for a long time. To rekindle those friendships and remember the things we love about each other, it was hard.
"I feel – and she knows this – I feel s**t that I wasn’t more determined to intervene. But what can you do? We’re all grown-ups. I couldn’t wade in there and say, ‘I think your husband’s a p***k, I want to take you away.’ "
Chisholm, 45, and Mel B – real name Melanie Brown – fell out about her marriage to Stephen, something that she also regrets.
But she is just grateful now that Brown, 44, was able to get out the marriage without being seriously hurt.
Chisholm added: "Melanie and I did fall out about it. And I didn’t handle it very well. It was difficult and she couldn’t leave that situation until she was ready. Thank God nothing happened to her. You do feel s**t that you didn’t do more."
The Spice Girls reunion that happened this year was a chance for Brown to put the past behind her with the help of her bandmates Chisholm, Emma Bunton and Geri Horner, but minus Victoria Beckham who declined to join the stadium tour of the UK.
‘When You’re Gone’ hitmaker Mel C is up for getting back together with the girls again in the future and she thinks the reason why there is still so much interest in the group 23 years after their debut single ‘Wannabe’ came out is because what they did was an important moment in pop culture.
Chisholm said: "I’d do it again at the drop of a hat."
Giving her theory on the enduring popularity of the Spice Girls, she added: "It was quite unusual for a female band to be that successful – and not only successful musically; it was a very cultural movement. British music was ruling the world. Even politically, things were on the up. Or we thought so."
Mel C wanted Mel B to leave ex-husband
