Sporty Spice's Battles With Eating Disorders And Depression

Spice Girl Melanie CHISHOLM battled an eating disorder and struggled with depression throughout her pop group's heyday in the late 1990s. The 33-year-old - who is nicknamed 'Sporty Spice' - blames the negative press surrounding her body image for forcing her to become obsessed with diet and exercise. She says, "I'd hammer the gym for three hours a day. It was a way of running away, not thinking. I felt like a robot. Then I started to control my eating. I cut out whole food groups like carbs and dairy. "By the end of the Nineties I was living on steamed veg and fresh fruit. I've no idea how I kept going. When the papers started calling my 'Sumo Spice', I was only a size 10. But I was so upset by all the criticism, it got worse and I went up to a size 14."