Mel C Opens Up About Sexual Assault

Content material warning: the next story incorporates descriptions of sexual assault.

Mel C is opening up about her expertise of sexual assault. Within the Sept. 13 episode of the “How to Fail” podcast, the star mentioned her memoir, “Who I Am: My Story,” revealing that she was sexually assaulted shortly earlier than her first-ever full-length live performance with the Spice Women. She was 23 on the time.

“We had been in Istanbul,” she recalled. “We did two exhibits over there, and we might by no means accomplished a full-length live performance earlier than, so clearly we might rehearsed for weeks forward, costume fittings, make-up right here, the whole lot was main in direction of the top of the whole lot I might ever wished to do and ever wished to be. So right here we had been the eve of the first-ever Spice Women present, so I deal with myself to a therapeutic massage within the resort.”

In response to Mel C, it took her a very long time to course of what occurred. “What occurred to me, I form of buried instantly as a result of there was different issues to concentrate on. I did not need to make a fuss, but additionally I did not have time to take care of it. As a result of I did not take care of it on the time, I notice that I allowed that to be buried for years and years and years.” The singer insinuated that the assault passed off through the therapeutic massage and mentioned that she by no means actually acknowledged what occurred on the time.

“I suppose in a model of sexual assault, it is a gentle model, however I felt violated,” she continued. “I felt very weak. I felt embarrassed, after which I felt not sure. Have I obtained this proper? What is going on on? I used to be in an atmosphere the place you’re taking your garments off with this skilled individual. It has affected me. However I buried it — numerous folks do.”

Mel C mentioned that the expertise got here up for her through the means of writing her memoir. “It got here to me in a dream, or I form of awoke and it was in my thoughts,” she mentioned. “And I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have not even considered having that within the e book.’ Then, in fact, I needed to suppose, ‘Effectively, do I need to reveal this?’ And I simply thought, really, it is actually essential for me to say it and to lastly take care of it and course of it.”

The star has beforehand opened up about her expertise of psychological well being points throughout her time within the Spice Women, detailing her bouts with despair and an consuming dysfunction in an interview with Mail Online earlier in September. “Effectively, it’s such a blended bag of feelings after I look again, as a result of us women achieved a lot, we completed our wildest desires,” she advised the outlet. “I by no means need to look again on that point negatively, however it will be significant for me to inform the troublesome elements of my previous. Our tradition has modified a lot and so many younger individuals are hungry for fame. And I simply need them to be ready. It is not plain crusing.”

At present, Mel C has a 13-year-old daughter named Scarlet Starr, and he or she stays shut with the opposite Spice Women. After attending Brooklyn Peltz Beckham’s marriage ceremony to Nicola Peltz Beckham in April, she advised the Sunday Times, “Brooklyn [Beckham] was the primary Spice child to get married, so it was pretty to be there and to assist Victoria.”

She’s additionally realized to really feel happy with her resilience over time. “I consider what I’ve accomplished and what I now take care of day-after-day — with work, with being a mum, with household stuff,” she mentioned. “And I am like, f*ck, I am nonetheless standing.”

“Who I Am: My Story” was launched on Sept. 15.

In case you or somebody want to communicate with somebody who’s educated to help sexual-assault survivors, please name the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.