16 Facts Everyone Forgets About The Spice Girls

Each decade has a special list of trends, popular actresses and singers, famous political people, and many pop culture references that we all know and love. The 1960s were all about peace, love, and lots of smoke (if you know what I mean!). The 1980s gave us pop songs like "Like A Virgin" from Madonna, along with super big hoop earrings and leg warmer trends. The 2000s gave us many Patriots' wins in the Super Bowl and Beyoncé essentially becoming the Queen of America.

The 1990s gave us many other things that we can reminisce about, things that give us serious nostalgia. But when it comes to people that made their place in the world and became timeless icons for decades to come, arguably no one has done it better than the Spice Girls! Posh, Sporty, Scary, Baby, and Ginger Spice gave us incredible hits like "Wannabe" and "Two Become One"-- and even gave us a movie, Spice World, in 1997. The movie made over $29 million in the United States alone, even though all the girls are originally from the UK.

However, many don't know the dark facts surrounding them. Below we outline sixteen of them; some that may surprise you, (they definitely surprised us!)

16 Baby Spice Wasn't An Original Member

Who knew?! Not us, readers, but did you? Not so much of a dark secret, but still something that didn't seem to be front page news,

Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice was not an original member of the band. When the band was called Touch instead of the Spice Girls, the five members were Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Mel C, Geri Halliwell, and Michelle Stevenson.

She left before the band even really made a name for itself (clearly) due to two reasons: she had a family illness, as well as the fact that she had a goal of wanting to go to college too. Not long after her departure, she was replaced by Bunton, who was friends with Beckham-- and the rest is history, as they say.

15 The Girls Had To Take Out A Loan To Pay Off Their Managers

Once the band was created thanks to Bunton as the fifth and final member, the girls were given nicknames as follows once they became the Spice Girls: Mel C was Sporty Spice, Emma Bunton was Baby Spice, Mel B as Scary Spice, Victoria Beckham as Posh Spice, and Geri Halliwell as Ginger Spice. (Fun and factual tidbit: originally Geri was supposed to be named Sexy Spice, but many deemed it inappropriate for younger audiences.) Their managers tried to get the girls to wear similar outfits, as well as offering them singles, but the girls weren't happy with this or their contracts. They got a loan from the bank, paid off those managers, and put together a showcase for labels. Simon Fuller was the manager they chose.

14 Posh Spice Wasn't As Classy As We Thought

We know Victoria Beckham as one of the classiest ladies on the planet right now. During her days in the band, Beckham was known as Posh Spice, exhibiting class, grace, and sensual maturity. For many girls, she was our favorite, because she wasn't in your face (like Scary or Ginger Spice), but she was always poised and sexy. Even now, she has created and designed several fashion lines and is famous for incredible runway and red carpet looks.

Rumor has it, however, that she wasn't always like that, and when the band signed their deal, Beckham was said to have ridden in the taxi through London with just her underwear on!

How silly, raunchy, and incredibly unlike the reputation she had created as Posh Spice later on down the road.

13 Mel C AKA Sporty Spice Had Many Demons Nobody Knew About

A dark secret that many don't discuss, even Mel C herself is her depression throughout her time in the band. (Another fact many may not know: Mel C is short for Melanie Chisolm.) In an interview with The Guardian, Sporty Spice states:

"I wouldn't say being in the band depressed me. I would say having such a dramatic life change at such a young age and all the pressures that come along with that, the way I handled it and what I put myself through, resulted in my being exhausted and depressed."

She went on to say she tried therapy, counseling, and medication-- even acupuncture, and that it was to no avail. The pressure was a lot for Mel and she did not handle it well.

12 Their Former Manager Pushed Them Way Too Hard It Was Scary

Between the eating disorders (more on that later), the issues within the band, and some of them suffering from depression, the pressures of being so famous and having your life displayed out in the public eye for everyone to see was weighing heavily on all of the girls.

After Victoria's mom (Posh Spice Sr.?) called Simon Fuller, their current manager, to allow them to have a break, the girls decided to fire him (read: ditch him) due to how hard he pushed the girls.

The firing of Fuller actually happened at the 1997 MTV Music Awards. They wanted to take back the control of their group, in more ways than one and threw all their belongings into Geri's car just to get away from him.

11 Victoria's Dark And Heartbreaking Relationship Before David Beckham

Another dark secret many don't know about our now-famous Posh Spice is that she was previously engaged before she met and married hot soccer hunk David Beckham (and had his beautiful children)! Not really a dark secret, however, the dark part of this story is the story itself. Further, the rumors that continue to swirl is that Posh Spice was not treated well in that relationship. Whether it was physical, emotional, or verbal violence, that remains unknown. Regardless, Victoria decided to leave him after she missed the writing session for "Wannabe" because of him. I guess she decided she would never let a man dictate her life or career again. Then, she met Beckham, fell in love, had a lavish wedding in Ireland, and had four gorgeous kids-- and still doesn't look a day over 40!

10 One Spice Girl Got So Low And Dated Russell Brand

Ginger Spice, Baby Spice, Posh Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice… and the sixth spice is Russell Brand? No readers, but he did date one of the Spice Girls. They all did grow up in the UK after all. After he split with pop star Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream" and "I Kissed A Girl"), Brand dated Geri Halliwell, Ginger Spice, in 2012. (It makes sense, doesn't it? We couldn't imagine him with any of the other girls.) These two Englanders met at the summer Olympics. They were hot and heavy for awhile, going on several dates-- for two WHOLE weeks! I mean, are you surprised? Brand is known to be a bit of a womanizer and Halliwell is very eccentric. These personalities are too large to last too long, but imagine those shaggy, red-headed babies?!

9 Baby Spice's Previous Acting Gigs Pre-Spice Girls Were Shocking

Okay, another secret that isn't so dark, but think of the way you see Emma Bunton, aka Baby Spice, and then try to hear this news. When we look at Bunton, we see innocence, a cute sense of style, and a flamboyant fun that a sultry and mature Spice Girl may not show. Before landing it big as a Spice Girl,

Baby Spice appeared in shows like EastEnders and To Play the King. In these movies, her roles included a mugger and, you guessed it (maybe), a lady of the night!

That's right, both bad character jobs… now do you feel like she represents innocence and fun? Maybe not. Either way, Bunton is now settled down with a boyfriend and a baby, so those raunchy movie role days are over, I'm sure.

8 Nobody Was Truly Aware Of The Real Reason Ginger Spice Left The Band

In May of 1998, it was announced that Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, would be leaving the band. Many speculated and wondered why. Even the rest of the girls weren't sure if it was true. They did two concerts without her, thinking it wasn't a big deal and assuming (with uncertainty) she just needed a break.

Later, it was revealed that Halliwell was suffering from depression, as well as having significant differences with the other girls in the group.

Mel B, Beckham, Bunton, and Mel C tried desperately to get her to return, but to no avail. They went on to perform all across North America for their SpiceWorld tour without her-- and to many this was the beginning of the end for the Spice Girls.

7 Baby Spice's Innocent Attitude Was All An Act

Another Spice Girl that had a certain reputation with the group, Emma Bunton is not actually that sweet or innocent in real life. Her reputation as Baby Spice is innocence, sweetness, and grace, while having a super fun disposition and casual demeanor. Her outfits even reveal a certain innocence, even though they were short and skimpy. However, according to Mel B, Bunton could get away with something as terrible as murder and isn't as defenseless as one may think. She also is actually very advanced in karate. During the making of "Say You'll Be There". Bunton actually taught the girls different kicks and tricks for the video! So even though she always looked sweet and innocent, Baby Spice has a spicy and sexy side too!

6 Geri's Flamboyant Nature Sometimes Rubbed The Other Girls The Wrong Way

Speaking of flamboyance, the sexy and raunchy version of that is epitomized in which Spice Girl? That's right: Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, was known to be very flamboyant, outgoing, and, well, obnoxious. As we stated before, her original nickname was Sexy Spice, but was changed for younger audiences. She was known as the "head leader" and made sure she was always in the spotlight. Sometimes she would dramatize her childhood (like saying she was born on a plane) or sometimes she would just be very open. She was also the one that very much supported the 'girl power' that Spice Girls embodied. She is also convinced she has powers, as she has stated in an interview with CelebsNow in late 2015. It's really no wonder she had problems with the other girls in the group.

5 Mel B's Heartbreaking Court Case

Something that has been in the news very recently is Mel B and her recent drama within her marriage, well now quickly dissolving a marriage. In one word: these stories are, well, scary. Mel B was linked to Eddie Murphy long after her Spice Girl days in 2006. Then, in 2007, she started dating producer Stephen Belafonte. Because her family disliked him so much, they did not approve of the relationship, and Mel B cut all ties with them in 2008. They got married in Vegas soon after. There were always rumors about Belafonte's abuse, but it still shocked everyone when she filed for divorce in late 2016.

She then got a restraining order against him

because of his verbal and physical violence problems. Scary Spice definitely had to go through scary things in this marriage-- and more on that later.

4 Two Girls In The Band Suffered From Serious Disorders

Another big and dark secret surrounding the girls during their height of fame is the fact that a few of them had difficult and traumatic eating disorders. During the late 90s, in the middle of all of their tours and album releases, both Ginger and Sporty Spice (Geri Halliwell and Melanie Chisolm) developed a hard bout with bulimia.

Mel C discussed in detail in early 2008 that she developed a fear of the tabloids saying unfair things about her and so she avoided eating or keeping anything down because of it.

The other side of that coin, however, is the embarrassment that comes with having bulimia, which is also something she had to work through. She also admitted she didn't feel comfortable telling her bandmates, while Beckham expresses sadness that she didn't pay more attention and wasn't able to help her friends get better.

3 Mel B's Marriage Was Doomed From The Beginning

Let's dive further into Mel B and Stephen Belafonte's relationship. Even though we already went down the road of domestic violence and restraining orders, there are many more rumors about the boundaries of their relationship that shocked many fans. The former nanny of Stephen and Mel, young and blonde Lorraine Gilles, claims that Mel B seduced her when she was just 18 years old. She states that she had a seven-year relationship with the Spice girl, often having intimate encounters with her and her husband, Stephen. Further, Gilles says there are many films of these encounters on camera! According to Gilles, there were several times in which Stephen was not present. It seems that Mel B denies these claims; however, it makes you wonder, doesn't it?

2 Ginger Spice Got Inappropriate With A Member Of The Royal Family

A raunchy and fun thing that happened while the Spice Girls were still together was (not shockingly) at the hands of spunky and honest and open Ginger Spice: Geri Halliwell.

When the girls had their premiere of Spice World, famous fan Prince Charles arrived and snapped a picture with the girls, at which point crazy funny Ginger Spice pinched his bottom!

Okay, Halliwell actually admits that she didn't pinch it, she just patted it, but still! She patted royalty on the bottom! Who does that?! We think only one of the Spice Girls! She has previously said that even though it's against royal protocol to touch him that way, she is "just human" and was just having fun as a young woman with a spunky disposition.

1 Pregnancy Cause A Lot Of Grief For Two Members

This isn't a secret, nor is it very dark, but a look down memory lane at how cute this is for two girl band members is totally fun! During the last leg of their Spice World tour, both Mel B and Victoria Beckham found out they were pregnant with their first child! In 1998, the girls both dealt with morning sickness and their first pregnancy together. Mel B states, however, that Beckham had lots of trouble with morning sickness while the girls were on tour. On the other hand, Mel B said her pregnancy was relatively easy. She had her daughter, Phoenix, in late February, while Beckham had her first son, Brooklyn, on March 4th, just weeks later, in 1999! Regardless of the band's drama, this is a super adorable irony that connects the girls even more.