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Mel C says that being in the spotlight as Sporty Spice in the Spice Girls led her to develop an eating disorder.
Mel C, 42, now a solo singer-songwriter, says the constant cameras led her to question her body.
“I joined the Spice Girls when I was 20 and it was an insane time. I developed an eating disorder,” she tells BBC Good Food. “I was in the spotlight, being photographed constantly, and I started to become self conscious of my body image.”
Mel C says she avoided admitting it, but searched for solutions.
“I was in denial for a long time but I always wanted to get better — I had talking therapies and holistic therapies, like acupuncture,” she says. “Sport became really important to me too.”
Part of the problem, Mel C says, is that she didn’t understand how to eat healthfully at the time.
“When I was a teenager, I didn’t know the difference between a protein and a carb,” she admits.
Now the former Sporty Spice says she understands how proper nutrition actually helps her body perform at its best.
“I love to be physically fit and, obviously, to really push yourself, you have to make sure you eat the right things,” she says. “I like to think I have a healthy relationship with food now, and I love to cook. We’re so much more aware of nutrition nowadays.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.com
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