Inside the Spice Girls' feud: How ugly fall out between Geri Horner and Mel B has thwarted 30th anniversary plans for a lucrative TV drama, Netflix documentary, Glastonbury slot and reunion tour
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The Spice Girls were the biggest girl band of the nineties but any hopes of a reformation since their 2019 tour have been scuppered- due to an ugly feud between two members.
Reports emerged this week Geri Horner has derailed a huge TV drama deal which would have netted each of the five members £1million each.
Insiders have claimed talks were going well until Geri, 52, decided to back out of her involvement in the project.
It is the latest blow to the band, with Ginger Spice also said to have pulled the plug on plans for a new Spice Girls reunion tour and a Netflix documentary for the band's 30th anniversary.
Sources say the 'nightmare' fall out between Geri and Mel B has left the band unable to find a manager who is capable of 'mediating' to help push projects over the line.
The feud began when Melanie Brown, 49, confessed she had a lesbian fling with Geri during the band's nineties heyday on Piers Morgan's chat show in 2019.
The Spice Girls were the biggest girl band of the nineties but any hopes of a reformation since their 2019 tour have been scuppered - due to an ugly feud between two members
Sources say the 'nightmare' fall out between Geri and Mel B has left the band unable to find a manager who is capable of 'mediating' to help push projects over the line
In the interview, Melanie told Piers the passionate encounter 'just happened' and seemed aware of how Geri, who married Formula 1 racing team boss Christian Horner in 2015, would take the revelation.
Mel said: 'She is going to hate me for this because she is all posh with her country house and her husband, but it’s a fact. But it wasn’t a thing, it just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it.'
'I have said it now. All done. She is going to kill me.'
Geri denied the affair took place, with Mel accused of dreaming it up to sell copies of her tell-all memoir, Brutally Honest.
A source close to the band said at the time: ‘It’s not a very nice thing to do even if you do have a book to promote.
‘Nothing ever happened. We all know Mel B loves a headline. It might have been funny 15 to 20 years ago but it was over the top and not funny.’
At the time, Mel's bombshell claims threatened to wreak havoc with the band's reunion tour.
The feud began when Melanie Brown, 49, confessed she had a lesbian fling with Geri during the band's nineties heyday on Piers Morgan 's chat show in 2019
Rehearsals for the sell-out shows began just two weeks after the air date, but the band managed to put on a united display before the first performance in Dublin on May 24 (pictured)
Rehearsals for the sell-out shows began just two weeks after the air date, but the band managed to put on a united display before the first performance in Dublin on May 24.
However the episode of ITV's Life Stories has repercussions to this day according to insiders, with internal tensions between Geri and Mel a 'red flag' for securing any future projects, including another a tour.
Despite the pleas from the bandmates, Victoria is adamant that she will never perform with them again, according to insiders as she wants to focus on her fashion brand.
'Managing all five Spice Girls is probably the toughest job in the business, but it is the fallout between Mel B and Geri that makes the job seem like a nightmare,' a source told Mail On Sunday's Katie Hind.
'There is always something going on between them – deep down they love one another, but Geri just can't understand why Mel had to tell the world about their fling.
'It has caused a whole load of drama, so they are struggling.
'The girls are certain that they can get some big gigs, Glastonbury even, if they find the right manager – but they can't.'
Music industry sources say the internal tensions are a 'red flag' – despite the chance for any potential candidate to make a fortune from the gigs (pictured together in 2019)
Spice Girls reunited at Victoria's epic 50th birthday bash but any hopes of a proper reunion for fans are off the cards, according to reports
Music industry sources say the internal tensions are a 'red flag' – despite the chance for any potential candidate to make a fortune from the gigs as the band approaches its 30th anniversary.
It is a blow to its members, who had hoped to reunite for the milestone, with a primetime spot at next year's Glastonbury Festival now seemingly a pipedream.
The last time the Spice Girls reunited in a professional capacity was for an iconic performance at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony.
In 2019, the band headed out on a UK stadium tour but fashion designer Victoria notably chose not to join, claiming she was too busy with her clothing brand.
The Spice Girls are said to not want their creator, Simon Fuller, involved – nor will Modest Management, the company that managed their tour in 2019, come on board and according to sources, they cannot find a manager capable of mediating – or who is willing to.
Geri is also said to have backed out of a TV adaptation following the band's meteor rise to fame.
According to The Sun, Geri, Mel, Mel C, Victoria Beckham and Emma Bunton were all approached about a drama series that came with a seven-figure payday.
A source said: 'It would have seen five actresses taking on the roles of Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and Baby.
'The venture would have landed them all pay deals of around £1million for essentially not lifting a finger.
'But as the negotiations ramped up, the others were told Geri had objected. The plans have basically been thrown out.'
The insider added that, without the agreement of Geri, it will be difficult to make the project happen.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for all five Spice Girls for comment.
Insiders say there have been many more digs and jibes behind the scenes by Mel which have infuriated Geri - who has had a tough six months amid allegations of her Formula One chief husband Christian Horner's inappropriate behaviour with a female assistant.
In August, Christian's allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague were dismissed following an appeal.
Mel made jibes at her former friend by wishing her a 'Happy 75th Birthday' online alongside a series of unflattering photographs from their heyday, seemingly a reference to her previous jibes that Geri had lied about her age in the past.
Mel also claimed in an interview that Geri has lied about her age for years.
Despite travelling the world together in the band's heyday, Scary Spice claimed Geri always kept her passport close to her chest so she 'still doesn't know' how old she is.
A source said: 'They've always had a tricky relationship but this has got very messy now and nobody has been able to smooth things over between them - so it's all off again.'
Mel B's representative declined to comment.
Geri was also said to be against the idea of a Netflix documentary. Some believe Geri wasn't keen on the scrutiny due to the scandal over her husband Christian Horner, who was cleared in March
Plans to mark their 30th anniversary with a documentary have also fallen apart.
After the Netflix Beckham documentary, made by David's TV company, was such a success last year, the Spice Girls started to talk to the streamer about possibly making a similar all-access show about the group and their phenomenal success.
It was to feature lengthy interviews with all of the 'girls' and their families, talking about their experiences of fame and of life since their pop heyday.
The idea was to tie the documentary to the 30th anniversary of the group being founded in 1994.
However, although Victoria, Mel B, Mel C and Emma were all keen on the documentary after a number of meetings, Geri was still against the idea and they were not able to talk her round.
This disagreement - certainly not the first in the group - created a little bit of frost between Ginger and the other girls, reported Alison Boshoff.
Some believe Geri wasn't keen on the scrutiny due to the scandal over her husband Christian Horner, whose role at F1 team Red Bull was in peril after an employee alleged he had harassed her.
Christian was cleared in March after an inquiry, with the complainant launching an appeal that was subsequently thrown out in August, exonerating the Red Bull boss for a second time.
A statement from Red Bull confirmed: ‘The complainant exercised the right to appeal, and the appeal was carried by another independent KC. All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded , with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld.
‘The KC’s conclusions have been accepted and adopted by Red Bull. The internal process has concluded.’
A source said: 'It might have been awkward for Geri to get out there and talk about Girl Power in these circumstances surrounding Christian but in truth even before it all came out she wasn't keen on revisiting those days. She just didn't want to go over all the fun, wild times that they had.'
