The Spice Girls rose to fame in the mid-90s and became one of the most iconic acts of the decade. Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanic Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Melanie Brown took the world by storm spreading a message of girl power.
From their hit singles to their feature film to their merchandise, the girls created a very powerful empire. Their reunion in 2007 thrilled longtime fans of the group and their performance at the 2012 Olympics was well-received.
However, when the girls announced another tour in 2019, Victoria was notably absent. She made it clear that she didn't want to tour, but fans suspect she might be changing her mind. Rumor has it Victoria might be ready to share the stage with her former bandmates yet again.
The Spice Girls' Rise Took A Toll On Geri And Melanie C
As the girls' stardom progressed, certain insecurities weighed heavily on them. For Melanie C, her own insecurities about her weight started in 1994, before the Spice Girls broke through.
She has recounted a comment from a former manager. She was demonstrating how to do a round-off backflip and the manager said, "I’m surprised you can do backflips with thighs like that."
According to Melanie C, it began with cutting out carbs from her diet. It progressed into cutting out even more food groups. At one point, she was only eating fruits and vegetables for a couple of years. She said that while she was never admitted to a hospital, she was so unwell that her periods stopped.
Meanwhile, Geri was struggling with bulimia. She said that being in the public eye made her even more self-conscious about her body than normal. She described controlling her body weight as a "coping mechanism." This soon spiraled into strict diet and exercise. That eventually led to emotional eating and bulimia. She also said that her fellow Spice Girls were completely unaware of it.
After the Spice Girls went their separate ways in 2000, Melanie C said she started binge-eating. She said that she would eat cereal and bread until she felt sedated. While she never made herself sick, she admitted that she would binge until she was unconscious.
Melanie said her eating disorder was an issue of control or lack of control. She also attributed her issues to the level of fame the Spice Girls experienced. She said that she was ashamed and embarrassed of her eating disorder. She felt the need to keep it a secret.
Melanie eventually went to a doctor and opened up about her issues. She was diagnosed with clinical depression, anorexia, a binge-eating disorder, severe anxiety and agoraphobia.
Geri's eating disorder continued well after she left the Spice Girls. She eventually received help from fellow British pop star and friend Robbie Williams. She also entered a 12-step program which helped with her recovery. She now has a healthy relationship with food.
The Spice Girls Reunited In 2007, But Victoria Skipped Their Next Reunion Tour In 2019
The Spice Girls reunited in 2007 for a world tour and a greatest hits album with some new material. They teamed up again in 2012 to perform at the Olympics in London. They also premiered a jukebox musical of their songs called Viva Forever on the West End of London. The musical wasn't so successful, but the girls announced they were going back on tour in 2019 without Victoria.
A year prior to the announcement, Victoria denied any future Spice Girls tour when speaking to Vogue UK. After the 2019 announcement, Victoria congratulated the rest of the girls on social media.
"I won’t be joining my girls onstage again but being in the Spice Girls was a hugely important part of my life and I wish them so much love and fun as they go back on tour next year," she wrote.
The tour was a success and rumors swirled that they planned on adding shows in 2020, but the pandemic shut down any possible plans.
According to Melanie C, the girls were in talks last year to do another tour.
Victoria Posted A TikTok Which Many Believe Is A Hint At A Spice Girls Reunion
In May 2023, Mel B spoke to The Sun about a possible Spice Girls reunion.
"My theory is that if I say it enough, it will happen," she said. "But actually, we are planning on releasing a statement. What that is, I can’t say right now because we’re just finishing off perfecting what we’re going to be doing together, all five of us, but it’s going to be something that the fans are really going to love."
Mel B also said that Victoria didn't need "convincing" since they are all still in contact.
"It’s not like none of us are speaking together, we’ve all got a group WhatsApp, but it’s just about timing," Mel B said. "She was really busy doing her fashion line and supporting David with his moves and his career and obviously she’s got a bunch of kids so it’s just about finding the right time. We’ve managed to do that so there should be an announcement pretty soon."
News of Victoria's possible return to the stage with the Spice Girls made headlines after she posted a video to her TikTok. The video shows Victoria singing karaoke in Miami to the Spice Girls' hit "Say You'll Be There." Victoria's husband, David Beckham, can be seen dancing by her side.
She captioned the video, "Warming up the vocals in Miami! More to come."
