Melanie Chisholm, known as Sporty Spice, has publicly criticized her bandmate Geri Horner's past comments about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In a 1996 interview with The Spectator, Geri Horner famously called Thatcher "the first Spice Girl" and declared, "We Spice Girls are true Thatcherites. Thatcher was the first Spice Girl, the pioneer of our ideology – Girl Power."
Mel C Expresses Dread Over Thatcher Association
Speaking on Louis Theroux's podcast, Mel C revealed that "even saying the name Margaret Thatcher" fills her with "dread." She explained her personal background shaped her reaction: "I grew up in the Northwest of England. My whole family are from Liverpool. On my dad's side of the family, the men have worked on the docks, or they did work on the docks for generations. Obviously, that was very difficult for me because that was not my opinion."
Fear of Being 'Tarred with the Same Brush'
Mel C elaborated on the challenges of being in a group where individual opinions were often conflated. "I think that was one of the things that was hard about the Spice Girls is that we could get tarred with the same brush. If somebody had an opinion, a political opinion, everyone would think that's what everybody thought and felt and it wasn't the case," she said. She recalled the discomfort of returning to Liverpool as a young girl after such comments were made: "It's like, 'Oh, the Spice Girls have said this.' It's just like, 'S***, I didn't say it.'"
Future of the Spice Girls
Mel C also addressed the band's future, noting that they are "discussing lots of great opportunities." She emphasized that no member has left permanently: "No one's left. I love it. When I'm doing shows and stuff, and if people want to introduce me, when they say former Spice Girl, I'm really offended." She added, "Because once a Spice Girl, always a Spice Girl. I think we all feel like that. There might be times we choose not to work in that arena, but we're still Spice Girls."
When asked about potential plans for the group's 30th anniversary this year, Mel responded: "We want to. Everything's in discussion. But it's a really positive time for us."
