- Marco Selvaggio
- BBC
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September 15, 2022
photo released, Getty Images
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Melanie C said the incident took place in a hotel room in Turkey
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Melanie C said she was sexually assaulted the night before the Spice Girls’ first concert in 1997.
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Speaking on writer Elizabeth Day’s podcast, Melanie C said she was assaulted during a massage at a hotel in Turkey.
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“I felt violated. I felt so weak. I felt disoriented,” she said.
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He added: “Then I had a sense of uncertainty – did I get it right? I was in an environment where you took off your clothes with this professional.”
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The British singer, whose full name is Melanie Chisholm, said she “buried” the incident “immediately” because she had to focus on the Spice Girls’ first gig.
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“I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I didn’t even have time to deal with it,” he added.
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She noted that her inability to deal with the aggression at the time led her to “bury him for years and years and years”.
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It was only when he started writing his memoir, Who am I?
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She said, “This thing came to my mind in a dream, or I was a little bit awake and it crossed my mind, and I said to myself, Oh my God, how could I not refer to this in the book?”
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He added: “Then, of course, I had to ask myself if I really wanted to reveal it. And I found, in fact, that it was really important for me to say it, and finally face it and face it.”
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The British star described the incident as a “moderate version” of sexual assault. She said she wanted to reveal details about her due to the impact of what happened on her.
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“It hit me,” she said, “but I buried it. I’m sure a lot of people do.”
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photo released, PA Medium
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Mel C (far left) with the Spice Girls at the 1997 Brit Awards
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In the How To Fail podcast interview, Melanie C also talked about the impact of her parents’ divorce and the eating disorder she suffered during her time with the Spice Girls.
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He said, “I had this idea of what I was meant to be. To be in this band and be a pop star. I started cutting out food groups, being very restrictive in my food, along with more and more exercise – to the point where I became very obsessed with it. “
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“It went on for years. I lost so much weight that I developed anorexia, my period stopped. I always wanted to be a mother, and here I couldn’t control this thing that threatens my fertility.”
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“It was such a compulsive thing that I couldn’t stop it,” he continued.
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However, she said she felt “extremely proud” that she overcame an eating disorder and gave birth to her daughter, Scarlett, in 2009.
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