After Melanie Brown confessed to having had a lesbian fling with Geri Horner on Piers Morgan‘s chat show in 2019, things were never going to be the same again between the two Spice Girls.
Two decades on from their secret sexual encounter – something the band’s fans had long suspected – Scary Spice let the cat out of the bag and Ginger has never forgiven her.
The fallout from that episode of ITV‘s Life Stories has repercussions to this day, for I can reveal that the feud between the two stars is scuppering a potential big-money reunion of the Spice Girls because they cannot find a manager capable of mediating – or who is willing to.
The potential candidate will need all the diplomacy of Debbie Gwyther, the woman largely credited with banging the heads together of her boyfriend Liam Gallagher and his brother Noel to reform that other great band of the Nineties, Oasis.
The Spice Girls are said to not want their creator, Simon Fuller, involved – nor will Modest Management, the company that managed their tour in 2019, come on board.
After Melanie Brown confessed to having had a lesbian fling with Geri Horner on Piers Morgan’s chat show in 2019, things were never going to be the same again between the two Spice Girls. Scary Spice let the cat out of the bag and Ginger has never forgiven her. Pictured: In 2012
The fallout from that episode of ITV ‘s Life Stories has repercussions to this day, for I can reveal that the feud between the two stars is scuppering a potential big-money reunion. Pictured: In 1997
The feud between the two stars is scuppering a potential big-money reunion of the Spice Girls because they cannot find a manager capable of mediating – or who is willing to and are said not to want their creator, Simon Fuller (pictured) involved
The potential candidate will need all the diplomacy of Debbie Gwyther, the woman largely credited with banging the heads together of her boyfriend Liam Gallagher and his brother Noel to reform that other great band of the Nineties, Oasis Pictured: In 2008)
Oasis are set to enjoy a sensational sell-out reunion and world tour next year, after announcing the dates in August
Music industry sources say the internal tensions are a ‘red flag’ – despite the chance for any potential candidate to make a fortune from the gigs as the band approaches its 30th anniversary.
It is a blow to its members, who had hoped to reunite for the milestone, with a plum spot at next year’s Glastonbury Festival now seemingly a pipedream.
One tells me: ‘Managing all five Spice Girls is probably the toughest job in the business, but it is the fallout between Mel B and Geri that makes the job seem like a nightmare.
‘There is always something going on between them – deep down they love one another, but Geri just can’t understand why Mel had to tell the world about their fling.
‘It has caused a whole load of drama, so they are struggling.
‘The girls are certain that they can get some big gigs, Glastonbury even, if they find the right manager – but they can’t.’
Another huge task facing any wannabe manager is to coax Victoria Beckham out of pop music retirement.
Mel B of the Spice Girls in concert at Croke Park in Dublin. The pop group took to the stage for the first time in seven years to kick off their highly-anticipated stadium reunion tour in 2019
The last time the Spice Girls reunited in a professional capacity was for an iconic performance at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony
In 2019, the band headed out on a UK stadium tour but fashion designer Victoria notably chose not to join, claiming she was too busy with her clothing brand
I’m told that having Posh as part of the line-up is the ‘dream scenario’, with one source saying that she would ‘add a zero’ to the profits.
However, despite the pleas from the bandmates, Victoria is adamant that she will never perform with them again.
That chapter of her life is ‘firmly closed’ say friends, and she is petrified of doing anything that could ruin her credibility as an A-list fashionista, especially after her label is finally turning a profit after years of big losses.
‘Victoria is the pull,’ says a music insider. ‘The other girls have reunited before and it has been great, but Posh is the final part of the jigsaw.’
Without her, the job of orchestrating a four-piece Spice Girls return just doesn’t seem to hold the same appeal to potential managers. But ‘she is simply not budging’.
‘She loves the girls dearly and is thrilled that they want to get back together, but it’s not for her,’ I’m told.
The other four have been yearning for a reunion for some time.
They most recently reformed five years ago when they played 13 dates in the UK and Ireland, starting at Croke Park, Dublin, to a sell-out crowd of more than 74,000, before finishing at Wembley Stadium – a tour that earned them £70million in ticket sales.
Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner and Melanie Chisholm of the Spice Girls in concert at Croke Park in Dublin
Guests at Victoria’s 50th in April could have been forgiven for thinking that the reunion was on the cards when the birthday girl was joined by Mel, Geri, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and Sporty Spice Melanie Chisholm for an exclusive sing-along
Previously, it had taken an Olympic Games to persuade Posh to join them on stage – for the closing ceremony of London 2012.
Her husband David had talked her into that gig – but, apparently, never again.
Before that, it was back in 2007 when all five performed together, for The Return Of The Spice Girls Tour.
Guests at Victoria’s 50th in April could have been forgiven for thinking that the reunion was on the cards when the birthday girl was joined by Mel, Geri, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and Sporty Spice Melanie Chisholm for an exclusive sing-along.
But despite the bonhomie that night, there are still issues between the women.
None more amply demonstrated than when Mel B was ejected from their WhatsApp group, for which she called the rest of the band ‘d***heads’ earlier this week.
Speaking on the Nineties special of Sky’s music panel show Never Mind The Buzzcocks, the Leeds-born singer said they booted her out ‘because I’m Northern and say what I think and feel and I’m constantly saying to the girls, ‘We need to go back on tour’.’
When pressed on the reason, Mel added: ‘Because they’re d***heads.’
It is that brutal honesty – or perhaps lack of a filter – that propelled Mel to reveal the truth about her relationship with Geri.
As she told Piers Morgan in 2019: ‘She is going to hate me for this because she is all posh with her country house and her husband, but it’s a fact.
It is that brutal honesty – or perhaps lack of a filter – that propelled Mel to reveal the truth about her relationship with Geri. Pictured: Mel B and Geri Horner at Silverstone in 2019
Having Posh as part of the line-up is the ‘dream scenario’, with one source saying that she would ‘add a zero’ to the profits. Pictured left to right: Geri, Victoria, Emma Bunton, Mel B and Melanie C in 1995
‘But it wasn’t a thing, it just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it.’
Sources close to the Spice Girls say that Mel and Geri were especially close when the band first formed. While the others would return to their families at the weekends when they were living together in Maidenhead, Berkshire, they wouldn’t. Instead they spent time together.
Mel then 18, and Geri, 21, grew so close that they regularly shared a bed as friends.
They were, says a source, ‘absolutely inseparable’. ‘Both were open-minded young women and they wanted to break boundaries.’
When Piers inquired how frequently they slept together, she said: ‘Oh stop it, you pervert,’ before eventually confirming that there had been a solitary sexual encounter.
Geri, 52, was furious – as was her husband, Red Bull Formula One boss Christian Horner, who was ‘absolutely mortified’ by the revelations.
Their anger only grew when shortly after the Piers interview, Mel B revealed that the romance had, in fact, lasted a year – something Geri has denied.
As a source close to the band tells me: ‘It is a terrible shame that they are now no longer close friends, but what is more devastating is the effect it still has on the Spice Girls.’