Mel C spoke out over bandmate Geri Horner's comments, branding Margaret Thatcher as the 'first Spice Girl'06:18, 07 Jul 2026Spice Girls singer Melanie Chisholm hit out at bandmate Geri Horner’s comments hailing Margaret Thatcher as “the first Spice Girl”.‌Geri told The Spectator in 1996: “We Spice Girls are true Thatcherites. Thatcher was the first Spice Girl, the pioneer of our ideology – Girl Power.”‌But Mel, 52, condemned the notion all five of them were all fans of the former Tory Prime Minister, and told Louis Theroux on his podcast “even saying the name Margaret Thatcher” fills her with “dread.”‌“I grew up in the Northwest of England,” she said in the frank interview. “My whole family are from Liverpool. On my dad’s side of the family, the men have worked on the docks, or they did work on the docks for generations. Obviously, that was very difficult for me because that was not my opinion.”She added, “I think that was one of the things that was hard about the Spice Girls is that we could get tarred with the same brush. If somebody had an opinion, a political opinion, everyone would think that’s what everybody thought and felt, and it wasn’t the case.‌"I mean people know that now. But being a young girl going back to Liverpool… It’s like, ‘Oh, the Spice Girls have said this.’ It’s just like, “Sh*t, I didn’t say it”.As well as delving into her battle with depression and an eating disorder during Spice Mania, Mel also talked about the future of the band, saying they are “discussing lots of great opportunities”.“No one’s left,” she said. “I love it. When I’m doing shows and stuff, and if people want to introduce me, when they say former Spice Girl, I'm really offended. Because once a Spice Girl, always a Spice Girl. I think we all feel like that.‌"There might be times we choose not to work in that arena, but we’re still Spice Girls.”When Louis asked if they are planning anything for their 30th anniversary this year, Mel replied: “We want to. Everything's in discussion. But it's a really positive time for us.”‌Mel is known for being the Sporty one among the girl gang and has always been a fan of exercise. She told Louis in the open interview she was even once praised by action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger for her muscles.She said: “He did compliment my guns once.”The Louis Theroux Podcast is available on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.