Mel C Says Spice Girls Success Led to Depression, Eating Disorders: 'I Was Quite Unwell'

Mar. 15, 2025

Spice Girls.Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Melanie “Mel C” Chisholmis opening up about what she calls the “difficult parts” of her past, in an effort to help young people be better prepared for their own fame.

TheSpice Girlsalum — known to fans as the iconic Sporty Spice — is preparing to release her autobiography,THE SPORTY ONE: My Life as a Spice Girl, on Sept. 27 and explained some of her early struggles in a new interview withThe Daily Mail. When she was part of one of the biggest-selling groups of the ’90s, Chisholm now reveals she dealt with both clinical depression and an eating disorder, and looks to that time as a “mixed bag of emotions.”

“I was quite unwell for a few years,” Chisholm said. “When I look back, I don’t know physically how I did it; when you consider how little I lived on and how much exercise I was doing alongside a brutal schedule.”

Joe Maher/Getty

Spice Girls in 2007.MJ Kim/getty

Mel C explained that around the time the group disbanded, potential suicidal thoughts were also a concern for her. “My own behavior discouraged me so much,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how far that could progress. So it was definitely time to get outside help.”

Chisholm was diagnosed with clinical depression, anorexia, a binge-eating disorder, severe anxiety and agoraphobia, according toTheDaily Mail. She was put on antidepressants.

These days, Chisholm — whonoted last yearthat another Spice Girls reunion isn’t totally out of the question — said she sees herself as a “warrior.”

“We are f—ing warriors, you know?” she explained. “Sometimes when I think of what I have done and what I now deal with every day; with work, with being a mum, with family stuff. And I’m like, f—, I’m still standing.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

With her autobiography arriving next week, Mel C’s book tour hits the U.S. at the end of the month withstops in both New York and Los Angeles. She now joins fellow membersMel BandVictoria Beckhamin having her own book.

source: people.com