Melanie C has opened up about a deeply unsettling encounter with Britain's notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile. The 52-year-old recalled the incident during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, when the conversation turned to the Spice World film and cuts that were made to it.
Encounter on a Breakfast Show
As the pair discussed the Spice Girls movie, Melanie revealed she had come face-to-face with Savile. She said: 'I met Jimmy [Savile] as well. Yeah I did one of the breakfast shows whether it was GMT or whatever it was called at the time.'
'And I was on the sofa next to him and I was in the lift with him and he made me feel very uncomfortable. I think he was even a little bit, he was quite old at the time, I think he was almost a little bit inappropriate on the air. He was just, he was him, let's not give him any air time.'
Savile's Crimes and Theroux's Documentary
The disgraced media personality's appalling crimes only came to light following his death in 2011. Savile had previously been the subject of a documentary by Louis Theroux, filmed while he was still alive. In 2000, Louis travelled across the UK to interview Savile, during which he directly questioned him about rumours surrounding whether he was a paedophile.
Savile responded: '[We] live in a very funny world.' He went on to say: 'And it's easier for me, as a single man, to say 'I don't like children' because that puts a lot of salacious tabloid people off the hunt.'
Savile then lied and said: 'I know I'm not.'
Theroux's Reflections
Since Savile's crimes were brought to light, Louis has spoken about how he feels regarding the documentary. Speaking in 2020 to the Mirror, he conceded that he had no regrets about making the documentary, but wished he had been given the chance to unmask Savile for who he truly was.
He said: 'If you're asking, do I wish I'd made that programme and been able to expose him? I mean, it's a bit like saying, do I wish I could turn cheese into chocolate? Do I wish I could fly? Do I wish I could go back in time and predict the outcome of the World Cup and make millions of pounds?'
'Do I wish I could go back and expose Jimmy Savile as a sex offender? Yeah, of course. If I did that story with a time machine and went back again, I would be armed with so much more information. But I really think that, given what we knew then, it's a piece of work that holds up.'
