Mel C gets spicy 'WE WERE MORE THAN A BAND'

The Voice Australia coach reflects on her days as Sporty Spice

- Tamara Cullen

The Spice Girls had a stranglehold on pop culture back in the '90s, when they topped charts around the world, making big-name celebrity friends and travelling to exotic locations. But for Melanie C, her standout moment in the girl group is remarkably relatable.

About 18 months before she, Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell-Horner and Victoria Beckham exploded into the music scene with their debut single Wannabe, they were flatmates a situation that built a solid foundation for their stratospheric rise.

"We knew each other inside out because we had that time together," recalls Melanie, 51, aka Sporty Spice. "It was incredibly smart and put us on this path."

With a shared vision, the bandmates worked hard to achieve global domination, but navigating everyday life with four other flatmates wasn’t always easy. Particularly when it came to chores.

Mel laughs, "I'm quite a tidy person and we had a rota, but it'll come as no surprise that certain members of the band shirked their responsibilities!"

Understanding each other's personalities, however, helped when their careers took off.

"I remember giving Emma cuddles when she was missing her mum because she was the youngest of us all. Obviously, Mel and Geri were the most outspoken, but if there were times they were feeling a bit low, Victoria, Emma and myself would balance it out."

Their friendship and sisterhood would go on to inspire a generation of women, with their 1996 girl-power anthem