Spice Girls Member Reveals She Was Sexually Assaulted Night Before Their First-Ever Concert

KEY POINTS

Melanie Chisholm said the sexual assault took place in a hotel in Turkey
She said she immediately buried the memory of the assault because she had other things to focus on
Chisholm described the experience as a "mild version" of sexual assault

Melanie Chisholm has revealed she was sexually assaulted the night before her first live performance as a member of the group Spice Girls.

In an interview on the "How to Fail" podcast, Chisholm, more popularly known as Mel C, said the sexual assault happened after she had decided to treat herself to a massage before hitting the stage for the first time in Istanbul, Turkey.

She said she was so thrilled at the idea of performing live for the first time in a full-length concert that she felt she should pamper herself before the big night. However, things took a turn for the worse when she ended up being sexually assaulted by the massage therapist, and she could not do anything about it.

"Everything was leading towards the pinnacle of everything I ever wanted to do, and ever wanted to be," she said. "What drives me is being on stage, being a performer, so here we were, the eve of the first-ever Spice Girls show, so I treat myself to a massage in the hotel."

"And what happened to me—I kind of buried immediately, because there were other things to focus on. I didn't want to make a fuss but also I didn't have time to deal with it," she continued.

Chisholm said because she did not deal with the terrible experience at the time, that night had been buried in her mind "for years and years and years."

She said she had not thought about it until she wrote her memoir, "Who I Am," which will be released on Sept. 15.

"It came to me in a dream, or I kind of woke up and it was in my mind. And I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I haven't even thought about having that in the book,'" she said. "Then of course, I had to think, 'Well, do I want to reveal this?' And I just thought, actually, I think it's really important for me to say it, and to finally deal with it and process it."

Mel C said while the situation was just a "mild version" of sexual assault and "wasn't as bad as it could've been," it had left a significant impact on her life.

"I felt violated. I felt very vulnerable. I felt embarrassed. And then I felt unsure—'Have I got this right? What's going on?' I was in an environment where you take your clothes off with this professional person," she explained.