Mel C beat eating disorder with sport

Mel C used sport to help her win her battle with an eating disorder.

The singer has opened up about how self-conscious she felt about her body when she was just 20 and the Spice Girls were conquering pop charts over the world meaning she was constantly photographed.

Mel, 42, started to get a problem with eating but her commitment to fitness helped her gain body confidence.

In an interview with BBC Good Food magazine, Mel – who was known as Sporty Spice in the group – revealed: "I joined the Spice Girls when I was 20 and it was an insane time. I developed an eating disorder. I was in the spotlight, being photographed constantly, and I started to become self-conscious of my body image."

The ‘Goodbye’ hitmaker also had regular therapy sessions and acupuncture – an alternative form of Chinese medicine that involves thin needles being injected into the body.

Her love for psychical activity combined with therapy allowed the pop star to develop a "healthy relationship" with food.

She added: "I was in denial for a long time but I always wanted to get better – I had talking therapies and holistic therapies, like acupuncture.

"Sport became really important to me too. I love to be physically fit and, obviously, to really push yourself, you have to make sure you eat the right things. I like to think I have a healthy relationship with food now, and I love to cook."

Mel – who has seven-year-old daughter Scarlett with her ex Thomas Starr – previously admitted eating disorders and depression left her emotionally fragile during her time with the group.

She said: "When the Spice Girls were at their biggest, I couldn’t even really look at myself in the mirror because I didn’t like what I saw. Depression, eating disorders, obsessive over-exercising; I went through all of it."