Melanie C tried to 'bury' her Spice Girls phase

Melanie C is known as sporty spice. Photo / File

Singer Melanie C, 46, who was known as Sporty Spice in the 90s girl group, admits she tried to put the band behind her.

But this was before she finally realised it was as much a part of her as other phases of her life.

She said: "I realised I'd been searching all this time externally, but I'm here. I've never gone anywhere. When I'm wearing the tracksuit, I'm me.

"When I'm running around singing Wannabe and kicking my legs in the air, I'm me. It's a huge part of me and I tried to bury it, I tried to say 'that phase is over.'"

And Mel felt like a "product" when she was in the band.

She shared: "I've had to come to terms with a lot of stuff... Spice Girls was incredible, but very destabilising as a young person.

"You might be working with lovely people who want to make sure you're okay, but at the end of the day you are a product, you're paying people's wages, and that can be a recipe for disaster.

"Young people, making more money than they ever imagined… When it was happening to us there was no emotional or professional psychological support."

And the Who I Am hitmaker has been open about her mental health and other personal issues and is relieved that she has been able to share her struggles.

Speaking to inews.co.uk she added: "I'm relieved and happy.

"But when I first spoke about having depression and an eating disorder, I didn't feel like I had a choice. I was very young and a lot of my issues changed my appearance, I felt compelled to tell everybody why.

"I was embarrassed, ashamed. Looking back, I don't think I was ready – I was very vulnerable, still healing, definitely not fully well. There was a long time when I regretted talking about it."