- Mark Savage
- BBC
15 September 2022
Melanie C said the accident happened in a hotel room in Turkey
Melanie C said she was sexually assaulted the night before the first Spice Girls concert in 1997.
Speaking on novelist Elizabeth Day’s podcast, Melanie C said she was assaulted during a hotel massage in Turkey.
“I felt violated. I felt so weak. I felt disoriented,” she said.
She added, “Then I got a sense of uncertainty – did I get this right? I was in an environment where you would take off your clothes with this professional.”
The English singer, whose full name is Melanie Chisholm, said she “buried” the accident “immediately” because she had to focus on the first Spice Girls concert.
“I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I also didn’t have time to deal with that,” she added.
She noted that her failure to deal with the assault at the time led to her “burying him for years and years and years.”
It was only when she began writing her memoir, Who Am I?
She said, “This matter came to me in a dream, or I was somewhat awake and it crossed my mind, and I said to myself: Oh my God, how did I not even think of referring to this in the book?”
She added: “Then, of course, I had to ask myself if I really wanted to reveal this. And I found, in fact, that it was really important for me to say that, and to finally deal with it and deal with it.”
The English star described the incident as a “moderate version” of sexual assault. She said she wanted to reveal the details because of the impact of what happened on her.
“It affected me,” she said. “But I buried him. I’m sure a lot of people do.”
photo released, PA Medium
Mel C (far left) with the Spice Girls at the 1997 Brit Awards
In the interview with the How To Fail podcast, Melanie C also spoke regarding the impact of her parents’ divorce, and the eating disorder she suffered during her time with the Spice Girls.
She said, ‘I had this idea of what I should be. To be in this band, and be a pop star. I started cutting out food groups, being very restrictive in my food, along with more and more exercise – to the point where I became Very obsessed with it.”
“It went on for years. I lost so much weight that I developed anorexia, my period stopped. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and here I wasn’t able to control this thing that threatens my fertility.”
“It was such a compulsive thing that I mightn’t stop it,” she continued.
However, she said she felt “extremely proud” that she overcame an eating disorder and gave birth to her daughter, Scarlett, in 2009.
