Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Singer and songwriter, one-fifth of the Spice Girls as Sporty Spice, who later had a successful solo career and starred in Blood Brothers.
On the island
Eight records
I WishFavourite
My first musical memories are rifling through my mum's albums... I really don't feel like anything can top this for me.
A great childhood memory. Used to play Fleetwood Mac Rumours at my best friend's house.
The lead singer was the first poster on my wall, my first crush.
Seeing Billie Eilish's young fans screaming for her took me back to the Spice Girls days.
The overture is so powerful, and Tim's performance of the first song chills up and down the spine.
You'll Never Walk Alone is a big track to everybody in Liverpool.
In conversation
Presenter asks
3:33Your collaboration with Sink the Pink – what did you get out of being on the road with them?
Do you know what? That was amazing. It kind of gave me an opportunity to find more self-acceptance because I think we all have parts of ourselves that we would like to change or we're not that happy or comfortable with. And, you know, being around drag queens and non-binary people and it was such an education to me. And I just thought, you know what? Every little bit of me is just fine. And yeah, it was really liberating spending time with them. And I didn't expect to get that from it. I knew it was going to be fun and crazy and all of those things, but it was really quite profound.
Presenter asks
6:54Your parents divorced when you were very small and it was amicable, but you've also spoken about the legacy that it left you. How did it change you, do you think?
Um, you know, thinking about my drive and determination, I do believe that comes from having my parents divorced. There was a sadness there, but I think it made me determine to succeed and and make something of myself.
Presenter asks
15:53Has the meaning of 'Girl Power' changed over the years? What are your thoughts on that?
The keepsakes
The book
A few years ago, actually, a good few years ago, I read a Dusty Springfield biography called Dancing with Demons and it just really stayed with me. A lot of her experiences, you know, she had some really difficult times, struggled with mental health issues. So yeah, it's just stuck with me. So I'd like to read that again.
The luxury
vintage Martin acoustic guitar
one of my biggest regrets in life, I started guitar lessons when I was a kid. And I just never kept them up. So I think I'm going to have plenty of time on this island. So I'm going to master my guitar skills.
What I think about the Spice Girls, and especially when people talk about feminism, I think we kind of made it more digestible for young people and it's wonderful, especially to see generations growing up feeling empowered by us being up there, doing the things we were told we couldn't because we were girls. And I think that really is the legacy of the Spice Girls.
Presenter asks
19:14You've talked about being bullied by one of the other band members. Why did you decide to open up after all those years?
Um when your absolute ultimate fairy tale actually, it happens to you, you feel guilty complaining about anything. We were on top of the world, we were the biggest band in the world and yeah, I I felt guilty about complaining.
Presenter asks
21:58The tabloids weren't always kind to you. Did it get to you sometimes?
Absolutely, yeah. I think I was described as like the plain one at the back that doesn't really do much, doesn't really say much. And that's really hurtful when you're a young aspiring pop star, you know, that hurts. And how did you deal with it? I tried to make myself perfect, whatever I deemed perfect to be, and I ended up making myself really ill. I was anorexic for a few years. I was exercising obsessively. And I ended up being incredibly depressed.
Presenter asks
30:06Your daughter Scarlett is 11 now. You've described her as your teacher. What has she taught you, and how has motherhood changed you?
It's changed me a lot. She's made me braver, you know, she's made me stand up for myself more and make big decisions, you know, like leaving her dad was hard. But I wasn't happy and he wasn't happy and it wasn't the environment I wanted my child to grow up in. And yeah, I couldn't have done that without the strength that I got from it.
“I'm not afraid or embarrassed about ambition anymore.”
“I couldn't allow myself to relax because if I did, I might mess it all up.”
“It was such a relief because I thought, oh my God, there's a name for it and I can be helped.”
“She's made me braver, you know, she's made me stand up for myself more and make big decisions.”