‘I buried it’: Mel C says she was sexually assaulted the night before first Spice Girls gig

Singer said she felt ‘violated’ by the 1997 incident

Melanie Chisholm says she was sexually assaulted in a hotel the night before her first concert with the Spice Girls.

Chisholm, also known by the monikers Mel C and Melanie C, will soon release a memoir, titled Who I Am.

In it, she shares personal stories about her life and career.

One of the most vulnerable moments in the autobiography comes when she discusses being assaulted in 1997 on the eve of her very first performance with the pop group.

In a passage in the book, she states that the group were in a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey when the attack took place.

“So I treat myself to a massage in the hotel and what happened to me, I kind of buried immediately because there were other things to focus on,” the passage reads.

“I didn't want to make a fuss but also I didn't have time to deal with it.”

In the latest edition of the How To Fail podcast, released on Wednesday (14 September), Chisholm said that she chose to include the difficult moment in her book as it is something that has affected her life.

“I felt violated, I felt very vulnerable, I felt embarrassed and then I felt unsure,” she told host Elizabeth Day. “I do want to talk about it because it has affected me. But I buried it.”

The Spice Girls pose for photographers in front of Cannes Martinez Hotel in 1997 (AFP/Getty)

Elsewhere in the discussion, Chisholm opened up about her journey with depression, sharing that she’s lived with the mental health condition for several years and has learned tools to manage it.

“Even now, in 2022, I live with depression,” she noted. “You know, it's there. I've learned very much how to deal with it and cope with it and keep it at bay, but sometimes it can get the better of me.

“So I think it's really important to learn what works for you. I think everybody can just have different little tools in the kit to get them through.”

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.