Spice Girls singer Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm, whose tomboyish aesthetic has long led her to be assumed to be a lesbian, has responded to rumors about her sexuality.
“There are all kinds of people, and there are people who wear activewear…I’ve had people think or suggest that I’m gay,” the “Wannabe” songstress, also known as Sporty Spice, said on a recent episode of “The Mitch Thulli Chat Show.”
“I personally have no problem with that,” she continued. “I mean, that’s not a problem for them at all. But I just thought…judging that based on how someone looks or what they’re wearing, yeah, that was a little bit un-like of them.”
Chisholm, 52, said the rumors helped the ’90s girl group gain an “incredible following in the LGBTQ+ community.”
“This is bigger than us,” she said.
The hitmaker formed the Spice Girls in 1994 with Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Melanie ‘Mel B’ Brown (Scary Spice) and Geri Halliwell-Horner (Ginger Spice).
Chisholm’s athletic, loose-fitting clothing, compared to her bandmates’ attractive looks, was one of the reasons fans speculated about her sexuality, which she found “very disrespectful.”
“I was told I looked like a lesbian because my hair was short,” she told UK-based publication Attitude in 2022.
“But why look like a lesbian? I think that’s very disrespectful and very offensive to gay people… It’s typical,” the “Viva Forever” singer continued.
However, Chisholm proudly accepted the rumors and shared that he has been able to perform at many Pride events over the years.
The “Spice Up Your Life” singer is currently dating Chris Dingwall.
“Nobody knows, but we actually met on Raya,” she shared on the “Life Uncut Podcast” last year.
Chisholm hinted at a romance with producer Joe Marshall from 2015 to 2022, saying, “I don’t know how much to reveal, but we used to date.”
“But by the time I get to this point, I’m usually out on a drunken night with my female friends and I’m like, ‘I need to go out. I need to start dating.’ That’s where Raya, the profile, was set up,” she said.
Chisholm is also the mother of 17-year-old daughter Scarlett Starr. She shares the teenager with her former long-term partner Thomas Starr, whom she dated from 2002 to 2012.
