Inside The Love Lives Of The Spice Girls
The following article references suicide, domestic abuse allegations, suicide, addiction, and eating disorders.
UK pop music group the Spice Girls formed in the mid '90s and it wasn't long before they were a worldwide phenomenon. Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, and Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton took over more than the pop charts thanks in large part to their catchy, empowering anthems and message of "girl power."
The Spice Girls carved out a place for themselves in pop culture history by putting their faces everywhere; they showed up on trading cards, as dolls, on lollipops, and in movie theaters. In this pre-social media era, it was a little bit easier to keep the world's attention off of the Spice Girls' private lives by keeping media attention on their eclectic outfits and catchy hits. But the ladies have never lacked in the romance department, even as they were busy taking over the world.
Sure, you may know every Spice Girls lyric ever, and yes, you know their legacy will viva forever, but how much do you know about their love lives?
It was 'love at first sight' for Posh and Becks
Victoria Beckham and husband David Beckham are arguably the most recognizable couple we'll discuss because they are one of the purest examples of a "power couple" in the UK, if not the whole entertainment industry. Since her Spice Girls days, Victoria's built her own fashion empire. David is a wildly famous former footballer, even bringing an enormous amount of attention to the sport in the U.S. in 2007. As a former AEG president told the Los Angeles Times, "There was no one else on the face of the Earth that could have done what David Beckham did for Major League Soccer."
The Beckhams are one of the most beautiful couples in the world, and their 1997 meet-cute is rom-com worthy. "And yes, love at first sight does exist," Victoria wrote in a 2017 letter to her 18-year-old self for British Vogue. "It will happen to you in the Manchester United players' lounge — although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy." She said that even at that first meeting, it was clear he valued family as much as she did.
The high-profile pair got engaged in 1998 and welcomed their first son, Brooklyn, a few months before their wedding in 1999. Their son Romeo came into the world in 2002, third son Cruz Beckham was born in 2005, and daughter Harper Seven arrived in 2011.
Victoria and David Beckham have faced more than a few divorce rumors
David and Victoria Beckham are close to royalty in England — we mean literally, as they were guests at Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Just because they are a rare celebrity couple that has been married for 22 years, that doesn't mean they have the perfect relationship. Victoria hinted at squabbles in a letter to her 18-year-old self for British Vogue. "Have patience. Bite your tongue," she wrote, giving herself advice on marriage. She values keeping the "mystique" alive and the physical attraction strong. "Never let yourself go completely (at least brush your hair, clean your teeth, have a bit of a brow going on because you will always want him to look at you and feel attracted)."
Despite those solid nuggets of knowledge, David and Victoria are so wildly famous that there is no way they could avoid divorce rumors. Their first notable scandal in 2004 involved an alleged affair between David and his assistant at the time, Rebecca Loos. In a statement, David called the allegations "ludicrous" (via Daily Mail). In 2018, the whispers of a Beckham split were so strong that Victoria's rep issued a statement to Us Weekly: "There is no impending statement, has been no statement and there is no divorce. What nonsense." Most of the time, the Beckhams ignore the gossip. As Victoria told Grazia in 2015, "David and I have nothing to prove. We love each other, look out for each other and are strong as both partners and parents." Mic drop.
Emma Bunton waited to walk down the aisle
Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton may be the youngest Spice Girl, but she has one of the longest relationships of all the ladies. Bunton has been with her partner Jade Jonas since 1998, when Spice Girls mania was at a high and Jones was in a British boy band called Damage. Early in their relationship, they did split up and get back together multiple times, and during one break, the rags said Bunton apparently hooked up with Justin Timberlake, something that both parties have (kind of, sort of) acknowledged (via People).
By 2004, Bunton and Jones were back on once and for all. In 2007, the couple had a boy named Beau. In 2011, Bunton shared on Twitter that they'd welcomed a second son called Tate.
For a time, marriage wasn't a priority. "It's not on the agenda; we don't even talk about it," she told Daily Mail in 2010. "I can honestly say that we're really happy, so we don't feel the need to formalise it." Evidently, the couple had a change of heart because in 2011, Bunton shared on Twitter that they were engaged. And then, on July 13, 2021, Bunton announced on Instagram that she and Jones had secretly married. The Daily Mail reported that they wed at Soho Farmhouse in UK's Cotswold Hills. "We had the most perfect day, we didn't take our eyes off each other, it was very romantic," Bunton said on a Heart FM show (via Daily Mail).
Did Mel B and Geri Halliwell hook up?
Members of the Spice Girls may have found love with each other for a short while — or at least lust. Melanie Brown claimed on Piers Morgan's "Life Stories" in 2019 that she had a fling with bandmate Geri Halliwell, saying, "She had great boobs," and nodding to confirm that they'd slept together. At the time, Brown knew Halliwell was not going to be happy about her public confession. "She's going to hate me for this because she's all posh in her country house with her husband," the former "America's Got Talent" judge added.
Brown went on to describe the tryst as something casual. "But it wasn't a 'thing.' It just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it," she told Morgan. Tipsters who claimed to be friends with the Spice Girls told a bit of a different tale to the Daily Mail. "It was in the very early days of the Spice Girls and their relationship lasted far longer than one night — it was at least 12 months," a source said.
Halliwell's team denied the story. "Geri loves the Spice Girls: Emma, Melanie, Melanie and Victoria [Beckham]," a rep said in a statement to the Daily Mail. "She would like [the fans] to know that what has been reported recently is simply not true and has been very hurtful to her family."
Geri Halliwell almost got married a few times
Geri Halliwell spent a long time trying to find a partner to spend the rest of her life with, and her quest hasn't always gone as she planned (which is so relatable, honestly). Per the Daily Mail, she met her first fiancé, Demian Warner, in 2002 when she was in a rehab center being treated for an eating disorder and he was treating a drug addiction. They got engaged fairly quickly, but according to the outlet she ended the engagement via email because of a dispute about a prenup and an HIV test.
In 2009, Halliwell called off her engagement to Italian businessman Fabrizio Politi after less than three months apparently because, as a source claimed to The Sun (via the Daily Mail), she realized she "wasn't the marrying type." According to the Daily Mail, she'd said the year before that she's usually the one to end things because she is "fickle." "One minute I think somebody is the love of my life, the next I don't. I have commitment issues," she shared.
Halliwell's daughter Bluebell Madonna was born in 2006. Per Hello!, her father is screenwriter Sacha Gervasi and her godmothers are Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton. Halliwell has also been linked to socialite Henry Beckwith (according to the Daily Mail, they may have had plans to get married), polo player Jamie Morrison, DJ Chris Evans, and singer Robbie Williams, among a few others.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Ginger Spice eventually found her Formula 1 true love
Geri Halliwell decided she was the marrying kind after all when she became engaged to Formula 1 racer turned manager Christian Horner in 2014. Per People, she announced her engagement in a very traditional way: The Times newspaper. The same publication reported that the couple got married in May 2015 in Bedfordshire, England, and the only former Spice Girl in attendance was Emma Bunton. Halliwell's wedding dress designer was Phillipa Lepley, who told People the singer wanted a "simple, clean and couture" gown. "It really shows off her figure so well and gives drama at the same time," Lepley said.
The couple welcomed their son Montague "Monty" George Hector Horner in January 2017. Halliwell shared a photo of her newborn son on Instagram calling him " a beautiful little brother for Bluebell and [Horner's daughter] Olivia." As of 2021, the family appears to be living in wedded bliss in the country surrounded by animals. And yes, both Monty and Bluebell share their mom's trademark ginger locks.
Melanie Brown accused her second husband of domestic abuse
In recent years, Melanie Brown has alleged that she was abused by ex-husband Stephen Belafonte. Brown alleged that Belafonte, who she married in 2007 and divorced in 2017, was physically, psychologically, and sexually abusive. According to TMZ, she dropped the allegations in 2018 as part of their divorce settlement and custody agreement of their daughter, Madison.
Brown told The Guardian that Belafonte slowly took control of her life under the guise of being helpful. He allegedly had the reins on her finances, cut her off from family members, and isolated her from her daughters in her own house by keeping the kids on a separate floor. In 2014, Brown attempted suicide. "I'd just had enough of such a fake life," she said when Piers Morgan asked her about it on "Life Stories."
"I tried to leave seven times, so you can imagine how desperate I was in those 10 years. I didn't have anywhere to go, I didn't have my own credit card, I didn't have a car, I've got three kids, I was very on the edge of self-destruction," Brown told The Guardian in 2021. When she did find the courage to leave Belafonte after her father's death in 2017, she got his name surgically removed from her body (it was part of a tattoo he allegedly forced her to get).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Mel B has found new love
Melanie "Mel B" Brown confirmed on "Good Morning Britain" in May 2021 that she is in a new relationship, though she keeps the person's identity a secret from the public. "I'm with somebody who is very kind, very honest, very loving," she said. "That's what I need, I need somebody understanding." During the pandemic, she moved back home to Leeds, England, to live with her family, including her mother and her daughters.
Brown's marriage to Stephen Belafonte isn't her first relationship issue to play out in public. As was recounted on "Piers Morgan's Life Stories," Brown had a brief thing with actor Eddie Murphy in 2006 that unexpectedly ended when, after a spat, Brown went to England for "some space." Brown, who was pregnant at the time, wouldn't take Murphy's calls. When she returned to reconcile she learned that he had publicly said the relationship was over and questioned the paternity of the baby. "That baby was planned. We planned that baby together and we were madly in love and it just went wrong," she told Morgan, adding that Murphy is the love of her life and "always will be." Murphy is the father of Brown's second eldest daughter, Angel, and according to a 2018 "The Guardian" feature, he sees her "regularly."
Per "Life Stories," Brown married former Spice Girls backup dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 and soon after they welcomed the first Spice baby, Phoenix Chi. The couple divorced in 2000. Brown shares her youngest daughter, Madison, with Belafonte.
Melanie Chisholm keeps her personal life out of the spotlight
Melanie Chisholm has probably been the most successful Spice Girl at keeping her private life out of the public eye. As Vogue wrote in 2020, "it's as though we know both everything and nothing about her." She has a daughter, Scarlet, with property developer Thomas Starr, but the couple split in 2012 after 10 years together. Chisholm said on Desert Island Discs (via The Sun) that her daughter inspired her to leave the relationship. "She has made me braver. She has made me stand up for myself more," the singer shared. "I make big decisions. Leaving her dad was hard but I wasn't happy and she wasn't happy, and it wasn't the environment I wanted my child to grow up in. I couldn't have done that without the strength that I got from her."
As the Daily Mail noted, Chisholm has been dating music executive Joe Marshall since 2015. The Sun reported that Marshall became Chisholm's manager in 2017 after she parted ways with former Spice Girls manager Nancy Phillips, who has also handled the solo careers of Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Beckham. "He challenges me but respects and loves me," Chisholm said of Marshall on Desert Island Discs in 2020 (via The Sun). "I don't think I've ever been in a relationship where someone has got my back." We're so happy Chisholm has found the support that everyone deserves in a relationship.