Melanie C has spoken candidly about suffering from eating disorders and depression during the height of her Spice Girls fame.
The singer whose full name is Melanie Chisholm said she believes her mental health issues can be traced back to a "scuffle" at the 1996 Brit Awards, a few months before the group released their iconic debut single "Wannabe".
“I am putting this all together in my head now and I think that is where the start of a lot of my problems was,” Chisholm told Lauren Laverne on this week's episode of Desert Island Discs.
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"I had to be so strict with myself after that, in case I messed it up," she continued. "What made it so devastating was how important I realised it was to me. We were at the Brits and we all had a few bevvies. I was told if it happened again I would be out."
During the interview, Chisholm suggested that being dubbed "Sporty Spice" by the media may have contributed to her eating disorders.
"I read about myself and wondered who that person was. I am sporty and athletic, but I am quite soft and gentle really," she said.
"I was described as 'the plain one at the back'. So I tried to make myself perfect. I ended up making myself really ill. I was anorexic for a few years. I was exercising obsessively and I ended up being incredibly depressed. I was in denial.”
Happily, Chisholm also told Laverne that she has now learned to speak her mind more freely, saying: "I have spent too long being quiet."
After presenting Billie Eilish with a Brit Award earlier this week, Chisholm chose the singer's hit "Everything I Wanted" as one of her Desert Island Discs during the show. She also chose songs by Madonna, Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please call Beat on 0808 801 0677.
If you are struggling with depression, please call the Samaritans on 116 123.
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