| Emma
Bunton, Melanie B, Melanie C and Victoria
Beckham then apologised to Geri for
failing to supporting her enough through
her eating disorders. The amazing scenes
came during a bash at Posh’s
Beckingham Palace mansion on the
Essex-Herts border. It went on into the
early hours yesterday. Aides ruled out a
comeback from the five in the immediate
future. But they said “the ice has
been broken and door opened”. Sporty
Spice Melanie C the most successful solo
artist following the band’s demise
is the sticking point. Perhaps
significantly, she was the first to leave
the party at 11.45pm. She told her
ex-bandmates: “There’s no point
in ever going back.”
But now
they are getting on well again, the other
four are keen to regroup possibly next
year for a Christmas 2004 greatest hits
album and a one-off gig. If that was
successful and if the money was right,
they felt that a proper reunion could
take place. The five former Spices have
been speaking more frequently on the
phone since Christmas.
Scary
Spice Mel B was the catalyst for the
meeting after her solo career flopped and
she had money worries. But Baby Spice
Emma Bunton was the peacemaker who made
it all happen. First to arrive at the
dinner was Emma at 8pm in a
chauffeur-driven silver Mercedes. She was
closely followed by Mel B, in another
silver Merc. Mel C turned up at 8.30pm
and Geri arrived soon after.
Scary
told Geri: “You’re the best
friend I ever had. We spent two holidays
together on a beach drinking cans of
lager and we shouldn’t ever forget
that.” And in an emotional speech,
Baby Spice told them: “Look,
we’re all victims here. People have
been stirring up problems and making
things difficult between us but
we’re like sisters. We’ve got
to stick together.”
Sources
close to Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty and
Baby said their reunion dinner on Monday
night was “emotional, but relaxed
and fruitful”. Geri immediately
defused the tension between her and
Victoria by apologising for the way she
had treated her old pal. Victoria
attacked Geri in her autobiography
Learning To Fly for not contacting her
when an untrue story broke about husband
David’s alleged fling with a
lapdancer.
Friends
of the band say a reformation is possible
if Melanie C can be persuaded to change
her mind and depending on how she
continues to fare as a solo artist. One
source close to Mel B said: “It was
a nice and easy-going evening. A lot of
bridges have been built and memories
shared. The girls lived through a unique
experience and time has healed their
wounds. It was an amazing adventure. They
didn’t want it to be like The
Beatles with a bitterness hanging over
them, taking any issues they had with one
another to their graves. They felt that
if they left it any longer it would never
happen they’d never be able to pick
it up again and make up."
“They
are all realistic about what happened
they were just a pop group who lost a
member and then ran out of steam.
“Some of the girls have more to gain
from a reunion than others Mel B is the
most desperate for it to happen because
she hasn’t got much to do. Emma
never wanted the band to split in the
first place and I think she would go with
the flow and rejoin, whereas Melanie C
has a solo career to worry about as does
Victoria. But a year from now ... we
never know. There were a lot of hugs,
kisses and laughs.”
The
source added: “Geri was there to
exorcise her demons. She has obviously
been in therapy and needed some closure
on the Spice experience but she is not
averse to the idea of a one-off date. She
came armed with memory cards and
didn’t want the evening to pass
without tackling certain issues head-on.
There are vague long-term plans. A bridge
has been built and there is a realistic
chance it could happen one day. Melanie C
is the one who needs to be convinced.
It’s a start and they all enjoyed
it. Victoria and Geri buried their
differences and we’ll have to wait
and see what happens. But I wouldn’t
be surprised if they all meet up again
soon. They are all good businesswomen,
don’t forget.”
Last
night Emma said: “It was great to
see them all again. We talked over old
times and there was a lot of laughing. We
had a really good time and we caught
up.”
At 15
minutes to midnight, Mel C was driven
from Posh’s pad in a black Mercedes,
keeping her face hidden from waiting
photographers. Geri left two hours later.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Sporty told
The Sun: “The band is not getting
back together with her in it.”
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