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Mel C is not about to let her age or former status as one-fifth of one of the most popular girl bands of all time define who she is today.
The 43-year-old former Spice Girl told Good Housekeeping she wants to "break down these ageist barriers."
"I still feel youthful," she said. "I'm in the best shape of my life, and I have just made one of the best records of my career."
Here are TooFab's 4 biggest takeaways from the interview:
She wasn't the biggest fan of being Sporty Spice.
In the band, there was power in numbers and we egged one another on. As Sporty Spice, I felt I was portrayed as being quite bolshy, mouthy and aggressive and that has never been me. I felt really uncomfortable with this portrayal. When you're in your early 20s, you are trying to figure out who you are anyway. I hate confrontation and, in the band, I was the diplomat. I've always been very low key and put up with stuff. I just got to a point where I realized it wasn't serving me well. I had to take responsibility for myself.
Despite being in what she describes is the best shape of her life, Mel does admit to feeling the changes.
At 39, I thought I was getting better with age. Then I hit 40 and did start to notice the wheels falling off a bit. Just waking up in the morning and taking longer to get going. And it hurts more when I bend down! But I feel lots of positive things, too. I'm much more confident and stronger in voicing my opinion and standing up for myself. Physically, there is a bit more maintenance, though!
She reveals she's had Botox, but she's not opposed to aging gracefully.
There are so many people in the public eye and in the street who look great and benefit from it, but I think it's easy to get a little bit dysmorphic about it. It can be a slippery slope. I've done musical theatre and I want to be able to move my face. I've had bits of Botox done. I do like it, but it does freak me out because I don't want to turn into that person that everyone thinks looks like Michael Jackson.
After a five-year hiatus, she's ready to get back to work.
It's exciting! But whenever I'm back on stage after a break, it is so petrifying. It's like anything in life – when you haven't done it in a while, you question whether you still can. It's been five years since my last record – my longest break. You find yourself entering a world that has changed so much, but the album's been well received, and now I finally get to my favourite part, which is getting on stage and performing and being able to express those emotions night after night. It's going to be fun!
