The 48-year-old singer, also known as Mel C, opened up about the alleged incident in her upcoming memoir Who I Am, revealing it left her feeling “violated, vulnerable and ashamed”. In her book, she states that the band was about to perform their first full-length concert in Istanbul, Turkey, when the incident happened during a hotel massage. “We were in Istanbul, we did two gigs and we’d never done a full gig before, so obviously we’d be rehearsing for weeks afterwards,” she told Elizabeth Day on her How to Fail podcast while promoting her memoir. “So here we were on the eve of the first Spice Girls show so I treated myself to a massage at the hotel and what happened to me I buried straight away because there were other things to focus on. Mel C’s memoir will follow from North West England to worldwide acclaim (Getty Images) “I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I also didn’t have time to deal with it. Because I didn’t deal with it then, I realized that I allowed it to be buried for years and years.” The singer said the experience came to her in a dream while writing her memoir and decided to include it. “I think it’s really important for me to say it and really deal with it and process it for other people as well. Terrible things happen all the time and this situation wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “In a sexual harassment version, it’s a mild version, but I felt violated, I felt very vulnerable, I felt embarrassed, and then I felt unsure, if I understood correctly, what was going on. “I was in an environment where you take your clothes off with this professional, so there were so many thoughts and feelings and I just thought I want to talk about it because it has affected me.” The Spice Girls performed their first major live concert, Girl Power! Live In Istanbul in 1997 after the release of their second album Spiceworld. The former Spice Girl singer’s book will follow the journey from her bedroom in North West England to worldwide recognition with the band. Melanie C’s book will detail the incredible highs of becoming one of the world’s most recognizable pop stars, including playing at Wembley, winning the Brit Awards and closing out the Olympics. The former Spice Girl is the latest member of the group to publish her autobiography (Getty Images) She’ll also share the lows of struggling with her body image and mental health, as well as the struggles of finding her own identity in a world where everyone knows your name. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, she opened up about her experiences with depression and an eating disorder while a member of the band. She said: “It’s such mixed feelings when I look back because us girls have achieved so much, we’ve achieved our wildest dreams. “I never want to look back on that time negatively, but it’s important for me to tell the hard parts of my past. “Our culture has changed so much and so many young people are hungry for fame. And I just want them to be prepared. It’s not plain sailing.” Mel C’s book will be released on September 15th.
