Scary, Scary, Quite Contrary Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leeds

In her 'Smash Hits' profile when the Spice Girls edited that month's issue, Melanie described herself as a 'northern nutter'. Her mum Andrea is British and her dad Martin was from St Kitts and Nevis. Growing up, Melanie dealt with racist abuse due to being mixed-race, and one club even turned her down because of it.

She stated in a later interview that she wanted to become rich enough to buy the club in revenge.

Answer: Drums

Like all the other Girls except Geri, Melanie comes from a performing background. As she was hyperactive as a child, her mother sent her to dance classes to give her an outlet for her energy. She also had acting lessons and taught herself to play the drums, though she never played on any of the Spice Girls' records.

She left school at 15 and worked as a dancer in Blackpool over the summer season, before starting at a performing arts college, and also did pantomime. Her sister Danielle is an actress and has appeared in the soap operas 'Emmerdale' and 'Coronation Street'. (Incidentally, Melanie C and Geri have both taught themselves to play the guitar, and Victoria can play the keyboard a little.)

Answer: Geri

Melanie B dresses up as Geri, who dresses up as Melanie C, who dresses up as Victoria, who dresses up as Emma, who dresses up as Melanie B. Melanie B makes fun of Geri, wearing a garish outfit and saying, "Blah blah girl power, blah blah feminism." Geri enjoyed dressing up as Melanie C, as she found the combination of an Adidas tracksuit and trainers comfortable; Melanie C, however, hated dressing up as Victoria as she had to wear heels!

Answer: Missy Elliott

Missy Elliott got in touch with Melanie while the Spice Girls were touring the USA and asked if Melanie would sing on a song she'd written. Melanie recorded the song in a day. It went to Number One on the UK Singles Chart and also featured in the film 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love?' She followed it with a cover of Cameo's 'Word Up!', a collaboration with Timbaland, which featured in 'Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me'.

It was less successful, only charting at Number 14.

Answer: Gulzar

Jimmy Gulzar was a backing dancer for the Spice Girls during their 1998 tour; he and four other dancers were dressed as male counterparts of the group, and Gulzar even got his tongue pierced to match with Melanie. He appeared in the video for 'I Want You Back'.

His relationship with Melanie was a turbulent one; they were engaged in May 1998, married in September - with all of the group except Geri in attendance - and divorced two years later, after the birth of a daughter, Phoenix Chi. Both parties were scathing about each other in interviews; Gulzar claimed that Melanie was rude and embarrassed him, while Melanie claimed he 'crushed her heart like an Evian bottle' and only loved her for her money.

Answer: Catch a Fire

'Catch a Fire' was Melanie's memoir; 'If Only' and 'Just for the Record' are Geri's, and 'Learning to Fly' is Victoria's. In 2018, she also released a book called 'Brutally Honest' about the abuse which her former husband Stephen Belafonte put her and her children through. She promoted the book in a spoken word show of the same name, with the help of co-writer Louise Gannon.

Answer: ABC 123

'Hot' was an R'n'B album, a huge departure from the Spice Girls' previous style, and was produced by several producers, including Jam & Lewis, Fred Jerkins III - who had also worked with his brother Rodney on 'Forever' - and Blackstreet's Teddy Riley. 'I Want You Back' was also on the album. 'Tell Me' was somewhat controversial due to being an all-out attack on Jimmy Gulzar, containing lines such as 'all you wanted was Mel B's money'. Melanie was also accused of exploiting her daughter Phoenix Chi by putting her on the single cover and having her in the video.

The album also featured 'Step Inside', a song written by Max Beesley. Eric Williams, another member of Blackstreet, guested on a track with a name which I can't print here.

Answer: Eddie Murphy

Melanie had previously dated actor Max Beesley after her split with Jimmy Gulzar, and she and Eddie Murphy were in a relationship. She became pregnant while with Murphy, but Murphy claimed that the baby's parentage could not be proven unless he took a paternity test.

The court ordered him to take one in June 2007, and he was indeed found to be the father of the baby, a girl called Angel. Melanie later described Murphy as her 'soulmate' and 'the love of her life'.

Answer: LD 50 Lethal Dose

'LD 50 Lethal Dose' is about a group of animal rights activists who break into a laboratory on behalf of one of their friends, and discover a plot by government agents. Melanie played Louise, one of the leading characters. As well as 'Spice World', she has also acted in 'Chocolate City: Vegas Strip', a film about a group of black male strippers, and 'The Seat Filler', which also featured Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child.

She has also done a bit of voice acting, playing the scout fairy Fury in 'Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast', and played Roxie Hart in a production of 'Chicago'.

Answer: Boys

Melanie has been a judge on various TV talent shows, such as the Australian versions of 'The X Factor' and 'Dancing with the Stars', 'Australia's Got Talent' and 'America's Got Talent', and was also a panellist on the British panel show 'Loose Women'.

She joined regulars Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, and Girls Aloud's Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, as a judge on the 2014 series. She was based in Cancún in Mexico and bandmate Emma Bunton also appeared as a guest mentor. During her time as a UK 'X Factor' judge, Melanie gained attention in the press for having visible bruises and scratches on her body, which were later to be revealed as the result of physical abuse by Stephen Belafonte.