The Spice Girls have been dominating headlines this week in light of swirling reports suggesting that plans for a possible reunion have been scrapped following a clash between Geri Halliwell-Horner and Melanie Brown.
In the wake of their glittering careers, which saw them tour the world back in the 90s with huge hits such as 'Wannabe' and '2 Become 1', the legendary girl band, who went their separate ways in 2000, had been rumoured to reunite after they joined forces at Victoria Beckham's lavish 50th birthday celebrations.
Meanwhile in January, Mel B added fuel to the fire when she told talk show host Jennifer Hudson: "What I can say is we're definitely working on something together—all five of us. And by me just saying that, I'm probably going to get into trouble again."
But the chances of a possible reunion are looking increasingly slimmer… Rumours of a rift between Scary Spice and Ginger Spice first emerged when Mel B paid tribute to Geri on her birthday this year, with a cheeky message that read: "Happy 75th birthday".
There's a backstory here… Mel B has previously claimed that Geri has been lying about her age for years. During an appearance on Olivia Attwood's podcast, So Wrong It's Right, she said: "Well no one knows how old Geri is. No one's seen her passport… I mean, I know we've travelled the world, but I still don't know how old she is."
As their reported feud heats up, join HELLO! as we take a closer look at some of the biggest girl band clashes…
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten formed in 1998 with founding members Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton. It all kicked off when band member Kerry Katona quit the group in 2001 and was replaced by singer Jenny Frost. When Kerry returned to the fold, tensions continued to rise, with Jenny telling Closer magazine: "I'm not in contact with them anymore, which I think is a real shame. But I didn't like how things were handled with the reunion and Kerry replacing me."
Meanwhile, during an appearance on Steph's Packed Lunch in 2022, Kerry shared: "I've reached out to them a couple of times and never heard back, I think one of them has blocked me, to be honest."
Little Mix
Little Mix went through a period of great change when bandmate Jesy Nelson announced her departure from the group in 2020, citing mental health issues. Following her exit, Perrie revealed: "We don't talk, and haven't done for a long time, it's really sad, it's heartbreaking.
"But sometimes these things happen, and people decide they want to part ways, and that's absolutely fine. I would rather it went differently, but you can't control how things go."
Tensions bubbled up in October 2021, when Jesy released her debut single titled Boyz. Her track received criticism for Blackfishing and didn't appear to go down well with her former bandmates. At the time, Jade Thirwell told Stella magazine: "We don't want to talk about the video, or be critical, but one thing we will clarify regarding the blackfishing situation is that Jesy was approached by the group in a very friendly, educational manner."
Jesy later revealed that the group no longer talk to one another like they used to in their heyday. "We're not talking anymore," she said on The Graham Norton Show. "It is sad but honestly there is no bad blood from my side, and I still love them to pieces and genuinely wish them all the best."
Girls Aloud
After parting ways in 2013, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding became embroiled in a clash. At the time, Nadine claimed she didn't want the band to split, writing on X: "You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time and want to keep going."
Cheryl had been quick to criticise Nadine, arguing that their split came about owing to Nadine's desire to kickstart her solo career. Speaking to Attitude magazine, the former X Factor presenter said: "She was the one who wanted to make a solo record. Which is why we took the hiatus. She wants to come out and say we broke the band up? No! She shouldn't tell porkie pies."
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are responsible for some of the biggest pop anthems such as Buttons and Don't Cha. While they originally formed as a burlesque troupe, Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt, went on to find stardom as a pop group.
Despite their success, it wasn't smooth sailing for lead singer Nicole and fellow vocalist Melody who appeared to clash on a number of occasions. In one particularly memorable moment, Melody bucked tradition and made the bold decision to ad-lib over Nicole's chorus. In 2006, meanwhile, Melody was nowhere to be seen when the group performed Buttons at the American Music Awards. In the closing segments of the performance, an energetic Melody surprised fans when she once again ad-libbed.
During a candid chat with The Mirror, Melody opened up about feeling overshadowed in the group. "I lost so much confidence and felt really worthless," she said. "It was pointed out, over and over again, that I was the weakest link in the group. And when you're told, over and over again, 'You're worthless in this group', it's amazing how it affects you mentally. I had never felt insecure until I joined the Pussycat Dolls."