Mel B Calls Absent Spice Girls Victoria Beckham, Mel C 'Bitches' For Bailing On Reunion Gig

Girl power, anyone?

Well, if ever a question mark still hovered over the prospect of all five Spice Girls turning up for the celebration of their 20th anniversary, it seems to have been firmly squashed by Mel B. 

The original Scary was chatting to James Corden on his ‘Late Late Show’ this week, when the prospect of the much-hyped reunion inevitably came up. 

Asked if all five would be appearing, Mel B said firmly, “The other two bitches didn’t want to do it.”

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Mel B, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton recently announced they'd be returning as a trio
GEM

Nice. Now we know that the ‘b’ word gets flung around with a little more abandon these days than when the five girls started singing into their hairbrushes back in the 1990s, but still, this seemed a little strong, something Mel herself was quick to spot. 

“Let me correct that,” she laughed. (Because it was so funny, obviously.) “My other two fellow lovely ladies — you know Victoria (Beckham) is busy with her great fashion line, Mel C is doing her own album — so they politely declined but gave us their blessing.

“We’re girl power, we support each other, so us three went ‘OK then let’s just us three do it.’

“We are going to do something. Us three. We are going to perform and celebrate ... for the people.”

So there you have it, five have become three. This comes as no surprise after Mel C revealed last week she was following her instincts in not taking part.

In Love magazine, she wrote that she believes the Spices peaked with their performance at the London 2012 closing ceremony. 

“I’d love to play huge arenas across the world, sing our brilliantly bonkers pop songs and relive our former glory - it is of course a very lucrative opportunity too,” she wrote. 

“But we were a five-piece band. Didn’t we reach a peak with the Olympics? There’s a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.

“For me the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out ‘Spice Up Your Life’ on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Anything less than the full line-up just didn’t feel like we’d be doing justice to the band or the fans.

“Unfortunately something didn’t feel quite right and I had to follow my gut.”

The band originally split in 2000, before reuniting for a curtailed 2007 tour, and also thrilling the crowds with a complete ensemble appearance at the 2012 Olympics. 

No words needed from Victoria, currently busy at New York Fashion Week. However, as if to cement her decision, former Posh appeared in a BBC documentary this week, dedicated to the inner workings of Vogue magazine. She was heard espousing the wonders of a “bounce gingham” to Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Schulman, plus the informal nature of her new prints collection. There was no mention of music. 

The Spice Girls
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1996The Spice Girls at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party (credit:PA)
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1996Victoria Beckham (credit:PA)
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1996Melanie Brown (credit:PA)
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1996Geri Halliwell (credit:PA)
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1996Melanie Chisholm (credit:PA)
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1996Emma Bunton (credit:PA)
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1996Girl group The Spice Girls in the studio (credit:PA)
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1996The Spice Girls backstage at the Capital Radio Roadshow (credit:PA)
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1996The Spice Girls at Radio One Roadshow (credit:PA)
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1996The Spice Girls (credit:PA)
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1996The Spice Girls arrive at the Lloyds Bank British Fashion Awards in London (credit:PA)
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1996The Spice Girls show off their latest award during a visit to a record store in Birmingham (credit:PA)
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1997The Spice Girls celebrate Red Nose Day (credit:PA)
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1997The Spice Girls lend their support at the launch of TV station Channel 5 (credit:PA)
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1997Prince of Wales & Spice Girls at the Royal Gala (credit:PA)
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1997The Spice Girls pose outside the Martinez Hotel in Cannes, during the 50th Cannes Film Festival (credit:PA)
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1997The Spice Girls are shown at the MTV Video Music Awards at New York's Radio City Music Hall (credit:PA)
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1997The Spice Girls at the European MTV Music Awards (credit:PA)
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1998The Spice Girls at a premiere for their movie Spice World (credit:PA)
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1998The Spice Girls at the Brit awards (credit:PA)
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1998The Spice girls at a press conference in Modena (credit:PA)
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1998Spice Girls arriving at the Empire, Leicester Square, for the gala premiere of the film Spice - The Movie (credit:PA)
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1999Mel G, Victoria Beckham, Mel C and Emma Bunton, the Spice Girls, withtheir wax doubles at Madame Tussaud (credit:PA)
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2000The Spice Girls at the launch of their new album Viva Forever (credit:PA)
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2001The Spice Girls get back together to record at the famous Abbey road studios (credit:PA)
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2007The Spice Girls pose for the photographers with a British flag on the grounds of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, (credit:PA)
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2007The Spice Girls at the Victoria's Secret 25th Anniversary Fashion Show (credit:PA)
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2007The Spice Girls perform at the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (credit:PA)
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2007The Spice Girls unveil the new name, Spice One, of a Virgin Atlantic Jet at the Flight Path Museum at Los Angeles Airport (credit:PA)
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2008backstage prior to the start of the Roberto Cavalli Fall/Winter 2008/2009 men's collection (credit:PA)
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2012The Spice Girls during a photocall at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London to launch Viva Forever the musical (credit:PA)
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2012Victoria Beckham
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2012Emma Bunton
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2012Geri Halliwell
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2012Melanie Chisholm
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2012Melanie Brown
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2012The Spice Girls - Viva Forever musical launch (credit:PA)
Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Mel C and Emma Bunton(38 of51)
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LONDON - NOVEMBER 6: British pop stars (L-R) Victoria Beckham, 'Mel B', 'Mel C' and Emma Bunton of the ex pop group 'Spice Girls' attend their album launch held at the Red Cube restaurant on November 6, 2000 in London. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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LONDON - NOVEMBER 6: British pop stars (L-R) Emma Bunton, 'Mel B', Victoria Beckham and 'Mel C' of the ex pop group 'Spice Girls' attend their album launch held at the Red Cube restaurant on November 6, 2000 in London. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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LONDON - NOVEMBER 6: British pop stars (L-R) Victoria Beckham, 'Mel B', 'Mel C' and Emma Bunton of the ex pop group 'Spice Girls' attend their album launch held at the Red Cube restaurant on November 6, 2000 in London. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
The Spice Girls' Ginger Spice (Geraldine Halliwell(41 of51)
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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: The Spice Girls' Ginger Spice (Geraldine Halliwell) (L) -- Scary Spice (Melanie Janine Brown) (2nd from L) -- Posh Spice (Victoria Adams) (C) -- Baby Spice (Emma Lee Burton) (2nd from R) -- and Sporty Spice (Melanie Jayne Chisolm) (R) -- arrive atop a double decker bus for a screening of their new movie 'Spice World' at Planet Hollywood in New York 14 January. AFP PHOTO Henny Ray ABRAMS (Photo credit should read HENNY RAY ABRAMS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 01: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of SPICE GIRLS, Group performing live on stage, sitting in chairs L-R Victoria Adams (Beckham), Geri Hallliwell, Melanie Chisholm (Mel C), Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown (Mel B) (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)
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UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 10: BRIT AWARDS, LONDON ARENA Photo of SPICE GIRLS, Group portrait L-R Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm (Mel C), Melanie Brown (Mel B) and Victoria Adams (Beckham) (Photo by JMEnternational/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)
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UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 10: BRIT AWARDS, LONDON ARENA Photo of SPICE GIRLS, Group performing live on stage L-R Melanie Chisholm (Mel C) , Geri Halliwell , Victoria Adams (Beckham) , Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown (Mel B) (Photo by JMEnternational/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)
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UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 10: BRIT AWARDS, LONDON ARENA Photo of SPICE GIRLS, Group performing live on stage L-R Melanie Chisholm (Mel C), Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown (Mel B) (Photo by JMEnternational/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)
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UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 01: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of SPICE GIRLS, Group performing live on stage Spiceworld tour L-R Melanie Chisholm (Mel C), Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams (Beckham), Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown (Mel B) (Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)
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Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls (Photo by Jim Smeal/WireImage) (credit:Getty Images)
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Portrait of UK pop group The Spice Girls (Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell) photographed in London in 1998. Job: 34206 Ref: SDD - Non-Exclusive - World Rights Only (Photo by Steve Brown/Photoshot/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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Portrait of UK pop group The Spice Girls (Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell) photographed in London in 1998. Job: 34206 Ref: SDD - Non-Exclusive - World Rights Only (Photo by Steve Brown/Photoshot/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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English pop group the Spice Girls in concert, circa 1998. From left to right, Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Victoria Adams (later Beckham, aka Posh Spice), Melanie Brown (Mel B or Scary Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) and Melanie Chisholm (Mel C or Sporty Spice). (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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The Spice Girls filming the video for '(How Does It Feel To Be) On Top Of The World', the official theme song for the 1998 World Cup football tournament, London, 1998. Assisting the girls are co-writer Ian McCulloch (back, left) of Echo And The Bunnymen and singers Simon Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene (centre), and Tommy Scott of Space. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)