Spice News

Emma new SINGLE "TAKE MY BREATH AWAY"Out today!What are you waiting for??BUY IT NOW!!!

02.09.2001 POSH'S ANOREXIA HELL

POSH Spice Victoria Beckham has confessed for the first time that she suffered the ravages of an eating disorder.

Victoria made the admission to close friends who had become increasingly worried about her weight loss.

One of those pals revealed: "She simply came out with it and said, 'Yes, I did have a problem but I'm fine again'.

And it is only now, with the help of those who know her best, that the News of the World can piece together the untold story of Posh's nightmare — and how she blamed her old enemy Geri Halliwell for part of the problem.
1997: Super shape. 1998: Pregnant with Brooklyn. 1999: Night that led to jibes.

One of Victoria's inner circle explained: "Even when she told us about her problem she refused to give it a name, but she'd say things like, 'You don't know what it's like to constantly worry about your shape'. We've seen people suffering from anorexia, we know the symptoms and Victoria certainly looked like a classic case to us.

"She kept insisting she had an allergic reaction to certain foods and milk. But we all thought she was in denial and simply couldn't bring herself to use the word 'anorexia'.

"The one thing she did say, though, was that Geri Halliwell had a big part in her problem. The bigger the Spice Girls became, the more obsessed Victoria was with weight.

"She'd been chubby as a teenager and didn't want to go back there.

"Geri battled against both anorexia and bulimia and the trouble was that Victoria listened too much to Geri without realising just how much damage Geri was doing to her own body."

Victoria, 27, also exhibited dramatic weight loss after the birth of Brooklyn.

Painful

She was reduced to tears by cruel jibes of Skeletal Spice when she looked painfully thin on a night out with husband David.

Another close friend explained: "Even then Victoria kept up a strong public front, denying rumours of anorexia. She even told some of us that the stories were plain daft. 'Upsetting' and 'dangerous' were words she used.

"But we weren't convinced. She said she'd only lost a stone after Brooklyn's birth but it looked like more than that to us."
FEB 2000: Slender. JULY 2000: Slimmer again. 2001: Back on form

Yet another pal who also suspected the anguish Victoria was facing, told us: "It looked to us that the problem flared up again when she tried to lose weight in time for her wedding to David. That was in July 1999.

"She'd put on more than a stone when she was pregnant with Brooklyn and was determined to get it off after he was born in the March before the wedding."

Victoria herself admitted in a newspaper interview published yesterday: "From the moment I discovered I was pregnant with Brooklyn I stopped dieting and ordered Dover sole, vegetables, potatoes and bread. I didn't want to put people I care about so much in danger."

But her friend pointed out: "After the birth the problem was that Victoria seemed to be continuing to lose weight. In January last year she went on the Parkinson show.

"I remember a few of us met up so we could watch her on TV together. I'll never forget it. She told Parky, 'I think I could probably do with putting on weight, but I just eat what I eat and that's the way I am'.

"We all thought, 'Well, that's not the way you used to be'. We were willing her to face up to the problem.

"Then, the following month, Victoria agreed to be a model for Maria Grachvogel at London Fashion Week — Maria's a friend of hers. Victoria came on in green hotpants and a tight T-shirt and looked thinner than ever.

"What only a very few of us knew was that by then Victoria had been to see a specialist.

"Whatever he told her, she'd only say it was an eating disorder. 'It's up to me now,' she said. But I know that her mum Jackie and David's mum Sandra gave her loads of help too.

"Admitting even as much as she did to us, her friends, was the best thing she ever did. Victoria was able to do something about her problem before it started to ruin her career."

Now that career is going from strength to strength.

Her autobiography, Learning To Fly, published by Penguin, is out later this month. She is currently on an exhausting promotional schedule running up to the release of her next solo single, Not Such An Innocent Girl, on September 17.

Yesterday she appeared on ITV kids show SM:TV alongside chart rival Kylie Minogue who also releases a single in the same week.

Normally guarded when she is talking to the British press, Posh has shared many of her innermost secrets in a heart-to-heart with an overseas writer.

Passion

She admitted that she and David ARE trying for another baby and want as many as FIVE children.

The text of that chat has never been seen in Britain... until now.

"I love children," she confirmed, "and I still want to have others, as many as five. That's definitely the most important thing for me.

"I think it's difficult for all working mums to have a career and a baby as well. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

"I enjoy what I do. I go to work and then I'm home with my family. I'm very happy with the way I've been doing it.

"What I love about being a solo artist is that you don't have to compromise.

"I can take my family with me and I only have my own schedule, and of course David's schedule."

One of her friends told the News of the World: "That ties in with the 'new' Victoria we know. Since she came back from her eating problems she's been so focused."

Revealing her abiding passion for David, she added: "He's the incarnation of everything I want. I'm very faithful because he's faithful.

"The important thing for me is not that David always looks fine. It's something deeper.

"And we want to bring Brooklyn up as normally as possible. He has to learn to deal with all the attention he'll get. He's had to learn how to deal with it from an early age."

A friend of Victoria said last night: "The fact that she can look to the future with such confidence shows how far she's come."

02.09.2001 POSH: I FORGIVE FERGIE

VICTORIA BECKHAM yesterday called off her bitter feud with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The pop star fell out with Fergie after he ordered hubby David Beckham home early during their honeymoon.

But Victoria revealed she had forgiven him. She said: "His commitment to his footballers is phenomenal.

"I know to a certain extent David feels he's a sort of father figure."

Victoria said she now understood and respected Fergie.

Emma Bunton reminds fans to buy new single

Emma Bunton has emailed fans with a reminder to buy her new single, in an attempt to increase its sales.

Take My Breath Away looks set to enter the UK singles chart at number five on Sunday, according to mid-week sales figures.

Fans of Emma received a email message from her official website telling them to keep their fingers crossed.

It read: "Emma here. As you know it's a very exciting week for me. My single is out right now, it's the one you helped choose, so fingers crossed."

Meanwhile, Emma is reportedly learning the guitar for her solo tour next year, according to the Sun.

It will make her the only Spice Girl to play an instrument.

02.09.2001 Posh: I had eating disorder

Victoria Beckham has admitted for the first time that she suffered from an eating disorder - and blamed it on Geri Halliwell.

In the first extracts from her forthcoming autobiography the wife of David Beckham also told of threats to kill her and her husband and kidnap their son, Brooklyn.

Posh Spice had always denied suffering from anorexia after her weight plummeted following the birth of her child.

Her autobiography is to be published in the Mail on Sunday.

Posh has now admitted that dieting became an obsession in the early days of the Spice Girls while the five were holed up in a house in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and told to lose weight.

It was Geri, who now has a successful solo career of her own since leaving the band, who encouraged Victoria and Melanie Chisholm to get up early and go running as they tried to shed the pounds.

But when she introduced Victoria to milkshakes to help curb her appetite, Posh changed from someone who needed to lose some weight into an "obsessive", the paper revealed.

In the following years, Victoria began binge-eating, including eating 10 bowls of Frosties in one sitting and tins of fruit.

In the book, entitled Learning to Fly, Beckham also revealed how she was targeted with a laser beam gun while rehearsing for last year's Brit Awards. Police rushed to the gantry after the Spice Girl spotted the red spot - which is usually followed by a bullet from a laser-sighted gun - on her chest.

02.09.2001 Victoria
Leather-clad Victoria Beckham dismissed rumours that she'll be too busy to watch her husband take on Germany in this weekend's footie match. 'I'll be watching the game on TV at home,' she confessed adding, 'And Brooklyn's going to be right by my side on the sofa.' Victoria also told us how embarrassed she felt about missing the goal net completely during Eat My Goal. 'I've never pretended to know anything about football and today proved it!' she said, cringing at the memory of her non-existent scoring skills!

01.09.2001Bunton's plea-mail

RECORD bosses seem worried about poor sales of Emma Bunton's new single.

Take My Breath Away is set to miss the top spot, heading for only No5 in tomorrow's charts, so her website has emailed fans with this hint to go out and buy it.

The message says: "Emma here! As you know it's a very exciting week for me . . . my single is out right now, it's the one you helped choose, so fingers crossed!!"

Meanwhile, Emma is learning the guitar for her solo tour next year - which would make her the only Spice Girl who can play an instrument.

01.09.2001NICE SPICE VICE SPICE
Britney's amazing..we are like two crazed fans; David would love a snake ...I love dodgy tracksuits

LEANING seductively back in a velvet chair and draped in a python, Victoria Beckham looks every inch the ultimate rock chick.

But while these exclusive shots prove Posh Spice is pulling out all the stops to make her solo career a success, she's also got a back-up plan just in case.

Victoria says she'll turn her back on the music business and go off and get busy with her husband David to produce a baby brother or sister for Brooklyn instead.

"If it's a success I'll carry on, if not I'll have another baby," Victoria says. "I'd love a girl. But we'll see how the single goes."

The single is Victoria's first crack at the charts as a solo performer. It's called Not Such An Innocent Girl and to celebrate Victoria has dressed up as the faces of good and evil on two different front pages for teen bible Smash Hits.

The good wasn't a problem but the evil as you can see involved a snake. And Victoria's not as fond of snakes as her husband is.

"When I saw that snake my stomach went," she admits. "David really wants a snake so I had to take some pictures for the family album. And Brooklyn's been so excited to see a real one. But I know it would be me who cleans up all the mess."

It's hard to imagine this pop princess running round Beckingham Palace cleaning up after a 12ft python but, she says, people have the totally wrong idea about life at their pounds 2.5million mansion in Herts.

"People think I wander around the house in heels and a designer dress," she says. "But I have towelling dressing gowns and dodgy tracksuits.

"I did worry a lot about my body image. Even now I look in the mirror and hate the way I look. David is the same. I look at him and say, 'But you're gorgeous, how can you be self-conscious?' But he is. We all have insecurities."

She adds: "When I first met David he wasn't what he is now. He was the same person, but he wasn't a pin-up. To me he's just David. I doubt he wakes up next to me and thinks he is lying next to one of the sexiest women in the world, 'cos when I wake up I look shocking. My hair sticks out in all directions."

But Posh is a little upset at allegations they spend nights in drinking Liebfraumilch. "We get some Asti Spumante or Tesco's Bucks Fizz," she grins.

But she "absolutely loves" Britney Spears. "She's amazing. I think she looks great. We were like two crazed fans when we met. I had my camera and she had brought hers and we were both awestruck. I went, 'Oh my God, it's Britney Spears', and she went, 'Oh my God, it's Posh Spice', and we took pictures of each other."

But it's unlikely that a meeting with her old Spice sister Geri Halliwell would go as smoothly.

"We have nothing in common," says Victoria emphatically. "I don't speak to Geri at all any more. She is doing her thing and I'm doing my thing. I haven't seen her in the flesh in a long time."

Safe to say troublesome Geri won't be on the guest list for Brooklyn's upcoming christening.

Besides, as anyone who saw those pictures of Brooklyn bawling in the street last week knows, Posh will already have her hands full with her 2 1/2-year-old bundle of joy.

"Oh no, he's so-o-o-o naughty," she says. "It's usually when we're in a shop, so it's really embarrassing. I've got white carpets and he has been sick all over them. He rides his scooter into my curtains too. I'm used to sick and poo."

Sounds like a good enough reason to get that No.1, Vic.

- A full version of this article appears in the latest issue of Smash Hits out this Wednesday.

01.09.2001Posh launches battle for solo chart success

Posh Spice is beginning her battle for the top chart slot on the same day as her husband is fighting for victory on the football field.

Victoria Beckham is to start pushing to land her first solo number one with her latest single, Not Such An Innocent Girl, due out on September 17.

But her first TV appearance to promote the single - on Ant and Dec's cd:UK programme will be head to head with Kylie Minogue, releasing her latest hit, Can't Get You Out Of My Head, on the same day.

And as the battle between the two pop stars begins, David Beckham will be fighting to steer England to victory in England's crucial World Cup qualifier against Germany.

Straight after her TV appearance Victoria will race back to "Beckingham Palace", the couple's opulent Hertfordshire mansion, to settle down with Brooklyn to watch David and his England team-mates take to the field in Munich.

01.09.2001Left Eye Wants Mel C

TLC star Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes has revealed she wants to team up with Mel C again, following the phenomenal success of their previous duet 'Never be The Same Again'.
"I would dearly love to hook-up with Mel again. We've spoken about it and she's really keen on the idea," Left Eye said. Mel was originally going to appear on the rapper's forthcoming solo album, but time restraints meant the collaboration didn't go ahead.

However, a spokesperson for the Spice Girl admitted that she was currently working on the follow up to her 'Northern Star' album, so a future duet might appear there.

Left Eye is looking forward to the release of her debut solo single, 'Block Party', which is due for release on October 8 and will be followed swiftly by her 'Supernova' album.

For fans eager to get a load of what Left Eye has to offer, album tracks are online at her official website, www.eyenetics.com

01.09.2001A1 want to record duet with Emma Bunton

Brit Award winners A1 are hoping to record a duet with Emma Bunton later this year.

Band member Ben Adams says they have written a song which would make a perfect collaboration.

He says the members of A1 are close to Emma.

Ben says: "We're working on recording a duet together. We've written a song which would be perfect, but we'd be more than happy if she wanted to make a couple of changes to it."

He remains guarded over what the song would sound like.

Ben says: "I'll get into trouble if I reveal too much about the song but she's really keen and so are we."

01.09.2001Kylie And Posh Prepare To Do Battle

Kylie Minogue has admitted she's scared about a chart battle with Posh Spice.The girls both put out new singles on the same day and Kylie admitted she considered delaying hers in order not to clash with the feisty Mrs Beckham.

Posh apparently put back her release a month so she didn't end up in another bitter battle with Sophie Ellis Bextor. Last year Sophie's group Spiller gave her Truesteppers collaboration a right Poshing.

Nervous wreck

"As soon as I saw we had the same release date I thought, 'Hmmmm, has anybody thought about changing the schedule?' I knew there would be a media frenzy if we stuck with the date," Kylie told The Sun.

"Then I thought if my single comes out a week earlier I'm in competition with someone else, or if it's a week later then there's someone else.

"Who knows, maybe someone else will beat us both to the No.1 spot? I know that on the week of release I will be a nervous wreck."

Kylie releases Can't Get You Out Of My Head on September 17, the same day as Posh's first real solo single, Not Such An Innocent Girl.

30.08.2001 Victoria Beckham's lip 'not pierced' after all

Victoria Beckham has not had her lip pierced but was sporting a fake clip-on ring when she appeared on stage on Bank Holiday Monday.

The former Spice Girl wowed fans at Party in the Park in Birmingham when she showed up wearing tight leather trousers, sporting fake tattoos and with a silver ring on her bottom lip.

Dental experts expressed concern that such a piercing could spark a copycat trend among youngsters which could have health implications.

A spokesman for the British Dental Association warned that if piercings were carried out by unqualified or inexperienced practitioners it could lead to excessive bleeding or infection.

But a spokesman for Victoria Beckham insisted the ring was merely a decorative clip-on and that she had not had her lip pierced.

Posh Rings The Changes After yesterday's reports that Victoria Beckham had pierced her lip, the singer now admits that the ring was actually...wait for it...a fake! The Gucci-loving singer revealed her new raunchy rock-chick image at Birmingham's Party In The Park but has come clean after dentists and doctors slammed the spicey lady.

Professionals had branded the fashion-conscious singer 'silly', fearing that fans would copy her new look. The posh songstress told the Sun: "The ring is not a real one. I didn't mean for kids to go out and have one put in."
Apparently the 27-year-old icon bought the fake lip ring in the high street ages ago but only decided to showcase it at the weekend. The singer told the crowd: "I just had it done a few minutes ago. It hurts like hell," but Vic has now said that the statement was referring to the mic which was rubbing against the ring.

Umm, maybe we are seeing 2 sides to the 'Not Such An Innocent Girl' after all!

30.08.2001 Emma's single dropping!!

BABY SPICE Emma Bunton's single Take My Breath Away has made No5 in the midweek charts - so her career may live another day.

30.08.2001 Jordan: Posh is pathetic and sad

BUSTY Jordan has re-opened her war with Posh Spice over the singer's controversial lip ring stunt.

In an astonishing attack that brings to mind the words pot, kettle and black, Jordan called Victoria "pathetic and sad."

Jordan made her point when I bumped into her at the Kerrang! awards aftershow party at London's Rock, telling me: "It was a really pathetic thing to do.

"I have got an 11-year-old sister whose age group love to copy what pop stars do so I know the effect she has on her fans.

"I think it was a really sad attempt to grab publicity - she only did it because she has got a single out and she wanted to grab the headlines from Geri Halliwell."

Posh has been criticised by parents and doctors for setting a bad example by sporting the ring at a solo gig. She claimed she had a real piercing but later admitted it was a clip-on.

Jordan herself may not be the best example for kids - she has had three boob jobs and is becoming famous for, er, enjoying herself at showbiz bashes.

But the 32FF beauty claimed: "Posh is only one operation behind me so she can't say I'm more fake than her. I have never pretended to be anything that I am not."

Jordan's outburst is the latest spat in a long-running feud between the pair.

She started the war by blaming Posh for turning her then boyfriend Dane Bowers into a snob.

Posh reacted by singing Who Let The Dogs Out when Jordan walked into the Manchester United players' lounge to see on-off lover Dwight Yorke.

Posh is due to come face to face with another rival on Saturday - Kylie Minogue.

The two - whose singles are out on September 17 - are to appear on ITV1 kids' show CD:UK.

28.08.2001Victoria gets lippy at concert

Speculation is growing about whether Victoria Beckham is expanding her collection of body jewellery by having her lip pierced.

Leather-clad Posh Spice appeared on stage for her latest performance sporting a lip ring and fake tattoos.

It is not known whether she is following the trend of body piercing or whether the ring is simply clipped on.

Victoria shared the line-up with former bandmate Geri Halliwell but the pair were kept well apart by organisers.

Ex-Spice girl Halliwell looked in combative mood wearing a Rambo T-shirt as she strutted her stuff in front of 30,000 screaming fans at BRMB's Party in the Park at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.

Two and a half hours later her ex-bandmate did her best to steal the show as she performed in the late afternoon sunshine.

The clash occurred a day after the News of The World published claims of tensions between the two stars.

Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998 to embark on a solo career. Since then the other band members have released solo efforts, but insist they are still together.

Victoria Beckham also did her best to outdo fellow performer Sophie Ellis-Bextor at the show.

The pair were involved in a heated chart battle last summer when Ellis-Bextor was guest vocalist on Spiller's single Groovejet which outsold Victoria Beckham's collaboration with Truesteppers Out Of Your Mind.

28.08.2001Concert keeps rivals Geri and Victoria well apart

Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham have been back on the same stage but were kept well apart by concert organisers.

Halliwell looked in combative mood wearing a Rambo T-shirt as she strutted her stuff in front of 30,000 screaming fans at BRMB's Party in the Park at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.

Two-and-a-half hours later her former Spice Girls bandmate Beckham did her best to steal the show dressed all in leather as she performed in the late afternoon sunshine.

The clash occurred a day after the News of The World published claims of tensions between the two stars.

Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998 to embark on a solo career. Since then the other band members have released solo efforts, but insist they are still together.

Beckham also did her best to outdo fellow performer Sophie Ellis-Bextor at the show.

The pair were involved in a heated chart battle last summer when Ellis-Bextor was guest vocalist on Spiller's single Groovejet which outsold Beckham's collaboration with Truesteppers Out Of Your Mind.

Other stars at the party included Atomic Kitten, Steps and Damage.

28.08.2001POSH SAYS HER NEW LIP RING HURTS LIKE HELL

POSH Spice gives her rivals the kiss-off - with a newly-pierced lip.

She had a ring inserted only minutes before going on stage yesterday.

It paid off when Posh, 27, put former bandmate Geri Halliwell and Sophie Ellis Bextor in the shade at Birmingham's Party In The Park.

She told The Sun: "I've just had it done a few minutes ago and it's really painful - it hurts like hell."

A huge minder guarded her dressing room door as a body piercer helped put the finishing touch on a new rock chick look.

The 35,000-strong crowd at Birmingham's Party In The Park roared as she stepped on stage wearing the face jewellery.

She teamed it with a red bandana, leather trousers and chains to perform her debut solo single Not Such An Innocent Girl.

Posh's raunchy image tied in with her video for the song - out on September 17 - in which she wears black and white outfits to play a good girl and a bad one.

Yesterday - her first major solo appearance - was designed to show off her darker side.

She gyrated sexily, moving her black gloved hands across her face and body.

But disaster struck two minutes into the performance, when her microphone headset fell off but her song carried on - revealing she had been miming.

Ironically, just before going on stage she had joked: "I'm going to be bad for the first time, so if I trip up then there you go."

She added: "I'm quite nervous because obviously it's the first thing I've done on my own."

Referring to Spice pal Emma Bunton, she said: "Emma texted me to wish me luck - it's a pity she wasn't with me."

She expressed sadness that hubby David and son Brooklyn, two, were not there to see her.

Manchester United ace David, 26, was having physiotherapy after suffering a groin injury on Sunday.

Posh said: "I really wanted Brooklyn with me but he's at home with David who's having treatment and trying to get fit."

Posh did not arrive at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium until 4.45pm - 45 minutes before she was due on stage.

She timed her entrance to make sure she did not see rivals Geri and Sophie backstage. An insider at the event said: "Heads would have rolled if they'd all met.

"There's clearly a lot of animosity so we were told they mustn't bump into each other.

"Today has been a success because none of them got in each other's way. It all went smoothly with no tantrums."

Yesterday was the first time Posh and Geri, 29, had shared a bill as solo artists since former Ginger Spice Geri walked out on the girl band in 1998.

The open-air gig came a day after Posh reportedly branded Geri "selfish and disloyal" and added: "I can't stand her."

Geri - performing her hits It's Raining Men aand Scream If U Wanna Go Faster - had her performance MOVED to an earlier slot so she would not have to cross Victoria's path.

Posh is said to be furious with her after learning that Geri's new video also features scenes of good versus evil.

The pair had been due to perform an hour and 20 minutes apart, but Geri had her set brought forward an extra hour.

The insider said: "She was desperate not to bump into Victoria because she knew it would be embarrassing for her.

"The pair haven't got on for years and I don't think they're ready to talk yet."

"It caused havoc with the running order because it was a last-minute change so we have to do some shuffling of the smaller acts.

"Geri also went straight back to London afterwards to make double sure she wouldn't see Posh. It's clear they can't stand to be in each others company."

Blonde Geri toned DOWN her image yesterday, wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a picture of Sylvester Stallone as Rambo.

It was a far cry from her act at a similar open-air gig in London's Hyde Park last month, when she was licked by scantily-clad female dancers.

Last night a spokesman for Geri played down her rift with Posh. He said: "There's no problem between Geri and Victoria as far as Geri is concerned."

The pair are thought to have had to use the same dressing room to prepare for their performances yesterday.

Organisers had only laid on two Portakabins - each with a sofa and bottles of water - and the other was being used by Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Sophie sang on DJ Spiller's dance anthem Groovejet, which beat Posh and Dane Bowers' single Out Of Your Mind to No1 last year. She also denies any rivalry with Posh.

POSH'S lip ring could start a wave of copycat piercings among her devoted teenage fans.

Hundreds of youngsters like nine-year-old Ryan Eastham copied her hubby Becks when he had his mohican haircut in June.

Now health experts fear that kids will be desperate to look like Posh - and put themselves at risk from blood poisoning and facial scarring if they don't have the piercings done properly.

A spokesman for the Institute of Environmental Health warned that some some piercing and tattoo parlours were run by cowboys.

He added: "This is a largely responsible industry which does stick by hygiene rules. But there still are a lot of parlours who are not up to speed."

Stars like Robbie Williams, Madonna, and Natalie Appleton have had navel piercings.

27.08.2001 Worldpop interview with Geri

GERI
Dec: We've had an anonymous question sent in for you saying, 'My 13 year-old daughter is obsessed with her weight to the point that I am worried she may have developed an eating disorder. You've admitted to having battled with this yourself when you were younger. What advice, if any, would you have for her?
Geri: Oh, it's such a tough one because I think for girls it's really common, the whole 'does my bum look big in this?' thing. But it's whether you take it to an extreme. There's no right or wrong but for me, I've struggled with this for years and so now what I do is just eat three meals a day and I cut out sugar cos that sort of sets me off a bit. But just eat healthily. Diets for me do not work because then you can swing from dieting to over-eating. The best thing is to be honest about it, that's the key. Just talk about it with your friends or your mum.

27.08.2001 Battle over Victoria books

publishing war was hotting up today between two eagerly awaited books promising to lift the lid on the celebrity lifestyle of Victoria Beckham.

The books - one an unauthorised biography and then other the star's official autobiography - promise to offer fans an insight into the world of Posh Spice.

Express Newspapers are serialising the unauthorised biography, Victoria's Secrets, which claims to spill the beans on the "real" Mrs Beckham.

The book, by Virginia Blackburn, will be published next month and claims the pop golden girl's single-minded ambition took her to the top.

With interviews with former dance teachers, friends and members of Posh's former band Persuasion, the book paints a picture of a determined, driven character with a passion for fame.

But the wife of Manchester United footballer David Beckham will release her own autobiography, Learning To Fly, on September 13.

According to the book's publisher Penguin, Learning to Fly "is about the reality of fame".

It is said to be "about what it's like to be one half of the most watched couple in Britain and how it feels to be the target of so much adoration and envy.

"In Learning to Fly, Victoria sets the record straight about the controversies that have surrounded her, including the truth behind the beginnings of the Spice Girls, her wedding and her health."

But the News of the World today published its own revelations, not connected to either book, in which the paper suggested there was tension between Posh and ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.

It was also alleged she wanted her husband to move to a London football team.

27.08.2001 Victoria's secrets are hot property

A publishing war is hotting up between two eagerly awaited books which promise to lift the lid on the celebrity lifestyle of Victoria Beckham.

The books - one an unauthorised biography and the other the star's official autobiography - promise to offer fans an insight into the world of Posh Spice.

Express Newspapers are serialising the unauthorised biography, Victoria's Secrets, which claims to spill the beans on the 'real' Mrs Beckham.

The book, by Virginia Blackburn, will be published next month and claims the pop golden girl's single-minded ambition took her to the top.

With interviews with former dance teachers, friends and members of Posh's former band Persuasion, the book paints a picture of a determined, driven character with a passion for fame.

But the wife of Manchester United footballer David Beckham will release her own autobiography, Learning To Fly, on September 13. According to publisher Penguin, it's "is about the reality of fame".

It is said to be "about what it's like to be one half of the most watched couple in Britain and how it feels to be the target of so much adoration and envy".

A spokesman for the publisher says: "In Learning to Fly, Victoria sets the record straight about the controversies that have surrounded her, including the truth behind the beginnings of the Spice Girls, her wedding and her health."

But the News of the World today published its own revelations, not connected to either book, in which the paper suggested there was tension between Posh and ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell.

It also alleged she wanted her husband to move to a London football team.

27.08.2001 Posh 'average-looking with undistinguished voice'

An unauthorised biography of Victoria Beckham claims that the singer 'is an average-looking woman with an undistinguished singing voice'.

The book traces her early life and attempts to uncover the secrets behind her rise to fame, success with The Spice Girls and marriage to David Beckham.

Victoria's Secrets by Virginia Blackburn will be published in early October.

An extract transcribed in The Daily Express says: "Victoria is an average-looking woman with an undistinguished singing voice and through sheer force of willpower she has transformed herself into a global superstar. Nothing stands in her way. Ever."

Steven Andrews, from Victoria's former band Persuasion, is one of the author's sources. Victoria left the five-piece pop hopefuls to join the Spice Girls.

Andrews is reported as claiming in the book: "She had been to the Spice Girls audition behind my back. I couldn't take it in. I kept asking her how she could do it to all of us and she kept apologising."

27.08.2001 TALK TO SPICEY EMMA BUNTON

WHAT took you so long? Here's your chance to put a question to Emma Bunton so send them in to us now.

We're giving you the chance to talk to the gorgeous blonde as part of our poptastic Music4you promotion.

It may have ended in the paper but that doesn't mean the fun stops online.

The singer - formerly known as Baby Spice - has carved out a successful solo career with What I Am and What Took You So Long.

And her new single, Take My Breath Away, is out on Monday.

So if you want to ask her about The Spice Girls, whether she's still mates with Geri Halliwell or if celebrity boyfriend Jade Jones is ready to become Mr Bunton, then send us a question.

In the coming weeks we'll also have webchats with the likes of a1, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Vanessa Mae, Pete Waterman - and the answers to all your posers for Samantha Mumba.

To send a question to Emma, just email us at webchats@the-sun.co.uk

Remember to include your NAME and ADDRESS.

27.08.2001 I can't stand Geri...

TODAY the News of the World can reveal the true story of Victoria Beckham that, until now, only her closest friends have known.

Only they know how she stood weeping in the home she hated, pleading with husband David to leave Manchester United for the sake of their marriage.

The homesick star was at the end of her tether — and the bitter rows with her new husband over where they should live were beginning to take their toll.

And only those in her inner circle knew the true depth of the hatred she felt for Geri Halliwell, right with Posh, who she blames for betraying the Spice Girls at the height of their career.

Next month Posh will publish her autobiography, Learning To Fly. She was reputedly paid £1 million by Penguin books. But today we get to the true Victoria that no self-written book can reach.

Speaking as never before, Victoria confided: "I can't stand Geri. I haven't seen her since a party we were both at in the south of France a couple of years ago and I'm pleased about that fact.

"She is one of the most disloyal people I've ever known. When she walked out of the Spice Girls, she almost split up an entire band with her selfish behaviour."

One of her closest pals last night confirmed: "She's previously been quite guarded about her true feelings about her, but she's been determined to deliver an absolute bucketload on her, and now she is."

Those pals were there shortly after her 1999 star-studded marriage to 26-year-old Becks as the couple tried to settle down in their luxury new home at Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The fact that she tried to prise her husband away from Old Trafford will stun millions of United supporters around the world.

Pleaded

"I did all I could to try to get David to leave Manchester," she told one friend, at the end of her tether.

The friend explained: "She was a Hertfordshire girl and couldn't stand her life away from her family and friends in the south-east and around London.

"She begged David not to sign another contract with Alex Ferguson. But David wouldn't be persuaded, and there were some really massive arguments between them.

"While Victoria has nothing but admiration for Manchester United as a club, she pleaded with Becks to worry about her life for a moment rather than his own career in football."

Posh said to her pal: "I've tried to get through to him how desperately I miss my family and friends down in London."

The friend continued: "She thought Alderley Edge was like living in the middle of nowhere." (Picture left is the couple's £2.5m home in Herts.)

But Beckham stood firm — and soon, however, their unhappiness behind closed doors began to seep out into their public life.

In February 2000 Becks was thrown off United's training ground after a furious row with boss Alex Ferguson because he had failed to show up for training and stayed south at Posh's parents' home in Goff's Oak, Hertfordshire.

Fergie was becoming fed up with Beckham's failure to persuade Victoria to settle down properly at their Alderley Edge home.

That turned to fury when David decided after all to re-sign his Manchester United contract in 1998.

Revealing feelings so long hidden from the public, Posh said: "I was a bit hurt because I was hoping deep down he'd sign for a London club."

Those comments now add weight to the frenzied speculation at the time that Arsenal were considering a £25 million bid for the player.

But for a time Posh was so consumed with the idea that he might move from Old Trafford that she had forgotten the family reason why she first wanted him to go. "I think David dreams of playing for Barcelona in the future," she said with a sigh.

Soon she was even trying to negotiate his wages. When Beckham's team-mate Roy Keane landed a £52,000-a-week pay deal in December 1999 Posh told one confidant: "I don't really know what difference it's going to make but I know that David's money should go up.

"At some point he will move and I think that playing abroad is something he'd like to do." A friend told the News of the World: "She was determined to have some influence over his career. It helped her feel part of what he was doing, more a couple, and eased her loneliness."

Predictably United manager Alex Ferguson, right, was furious at the interference. Yet only now can the full truth be told of the machinations that went on behind the headlines.

The pal added: "She read them like the rest of us, but Posh can be so determined. She really wanted to make things happen in David's life.

"But she now accepts her husband was entirely right not to quit United. She said she'd learned from the rows with David and was never going to interfere with his career plans again."

But some believe there is still a residue of ill-feeling for Alex Ferguson and she recently gave vent again to her feelings.

She was asked, as a joke, that if she could save one person from drowning would she help Alex Ferguson or Geri Halliwell. Her reply was: "I'd let them both drown."

Another pal said: "I'm sure it was a joke as far as Sir Alex was concerned. She now realises he's a great influence for good on David."

Knife

Later, however, she developed her dislike, especially for Geri, in a long conversation: "Geri means nothing to me. We have nothing in common. I don't speak to her any more. We're both doing our own thing and that's that."

A friend of hers explained to the News of the World: "Posh twists the knife in whenever she can. Take last year, for example. She was promoting her single Out Of Your Mind, the one she did with Dane Bowers, and she posed up for a photograph with a little dog.

"To anyone who didn't know it was just another picture of Posh. But some of us know REAL reason she wanted that photograph taken was to mimic and make fun of Geri who'd been pictured in the papers with her pet shih-tzu Harry."

Backstage Posh told a pal that she joked with her dancers: "Do I look like Geri? Look, here I am with my dog, quick take my picture. Hi, my name is Geri Halliwell. Do you think I look good with my dog, take my picture."

The pair grew apart when Geri walked out of the Spice Girls back in May 1998. Posh's resentment began to mushroom.

When Geri began dating Chris Evans, Posh seethed to a pal: "I can't believe she's going out with him. She'll do anything to get publicity."

She continued: "Geri doesn't care what she does as long as she gets in the paper. How can she go out with someone like Chris? She's obviously trying to further her career and doesn't care how she does it."

Their animosity exploded this year when Posh was livid after she found out Geri's video for Scream If You Wanna Go Faster was very similar to the one she had shot for her own debut single, Not Such An Innocent Girl, which is to be released on September 17.

In public she kept an even keel — just as she did with Sir Alex Ferguson. But with friends she could let herself go. She ranted at one: "How the hell can she get away with that? Somebody must have told her what my video was. There's no way she would have the same idea. This can't be a coincidence. I want to know how she did it."

The friend told the News of the World: "There was real fury there. It changed her face. It goes really deep."

Damages

Also feeling the viperish side of Victoria is the star's former bodyguard Mark Niblett (pictured below with Becks). Ex-soldier Niblett, 40, made the mistake of selling Posh and Becks' secrets to Royal author Andrew Morton who used some in his unauthorised biography of the couple.

Earlier this year they won the go-ahead in the High Court to seek damages against him. A statement from the couple said: "We are naturally both pleased."

A pal revealed: "Again, it was the calm exterior for the headlines. She told me Niblett was ‘despicable'."

Posh had come to totally trust Niblett during the 11 months he worked for them — and was devastated when he broke their confidence.

Posh was desperate for a bodyguard she could trust after the death threats made against her and Becks and their two-and-a-half-year-old son Brooklyn, pictured left. The couple received sick letters sent to their homes in Cheshire and Hertfordshire.

And in one harrowing incident a bullet was delivered through the door of their house. A pal told us: "It was a truly horrible time for them. You could feel their anguish whenever we met.

"There were some people who said that Victoria exaggerated the threats to gain publicity. You should have heard her! ‘This is my child!' she said. ‘Who could think I'd use him like that? Are they stupid or what?'"

Posh's inner circle believe her up-front attitude and readiness to fight for what she wants is overcompensation for an insecurity that stems from own childhood. One pal told us that her days at St Mary's High secondary school, close to her parents home in Hertfordshire, were not always happy.

The pal said Posh told her: "I didn't have many friends at school and I was unpopular."

Now she has achieved that popularity she craved among the fans who adore her. But popularity, though, has to be won. And she hasn't done too well with her nemesis Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Sophie shot to fame last August as the featured artist on Spiller's summer smash, Groovejet, which became the year's fastest selling single with 220,000 copies. Even more famously, the club release beat Victoria's first solo project - Out Of Your Mind with Dane Bowers & Truesteppers - to the coveted No 1 spot.

Posh Spice embarked on a vigorous publicity campaign, even dragging her hubby to a signing at an Oldham Woolworths at one stage.

Sophie didn't even have the luxury of a publicity manager to orchestrate her moves.

Weird

The enmity remains. Speaking frankly about their antagonism, Sophie said: "Victoria was at the Elle Style Awards, which I went to last year, and for some reason she refused to say hello.

"Somebody told her I was there and if she wanted to meet me. I thought it would be lovely to go over and have a bit of a laugh about all that had gone on - but she said No.

"Even weirder, my Mum and I arrived late for the awards. We should have been seated near the front, but someone had mysteriously swapped our name-places over so that we were seated at the back.

"The organisers were really apologetic. We couldn't think how it had happened.

"Never mind. I've been nominated for Best Music Star this year. I don't know if Victoria has."

25.08.2001Sexy posh leaves a panther panting

POSH leaves even a panther open-mouthed as she shows off her sexy black leather look. My exclusive pictures show the covers for her new album, Victoria Beckham and single, Not Such An Innocent Girl.

Victoria's aides told me: "Victoria had adopted the panther as her solo logo - so she demanded a real panther for the shoot. It was pretty tame and Victoria was happy to put her arms around it."

The photos were taken by top fashion photographer Vincent Peters in LA.

25.08.2001 Posh Eyes America

Victoria Beckham has told mtv.co.uk that her future solo projects will almost certainly feature guest rappers, adding that she hoped to succeed where the other Spice Girls had failed by breaking the American market as a solo artist.

Although her forthcoming solo album is made up of pop songs, Victoria revealed to mtv.co.uk that she would really like to work with somebody on the American hip-hop scene. "I would love to get somebody rapping on a track," she said. "It would be great to work with somebody like Eminem but I wouldn’t say he would be my number one choice."

Victoria added that she would like to tour in the future and planned a big promotional push for the album's US release. "I know the producers and the record company want to take this album to America because it was mainly recorded over there and so the style would work over there.

"I think the problem with a lot of artists is they try to crack America and try and sell back what they do so well themselves," she continued. "I am not doing that. I am not planning to be the next Destiny's Child. That would be ridiculous. I am just doing what I do best; making pop music."

24.08.2001 Pouty in the park

POSH SPICE faces not one but TWO arch-rivals at Birmingham's Party In The Park next Monday.

She is due to appear at the BRMB event whose line-up also includes Geri Halliwell and Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Posh is furious with ex-Spice Girl Geri for using the same Lara Croft video concept as her - and she has never forgiven Sophie for beating her to No1 with her last solo single.

Meanwhile, Radio 1 has yet to play-list Posh's forthcoming single Not Such An Innocent Girl.

But the station IS airing Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head - which comes out on the same day as Posh's single next month.

24.08.2001 Victoria's album beckhams...

Victoria Beckham has spoken to worldpop about the pressure of recording her debut solo album and the public's perception of her as a solo artist. She admits to feeling worried about the album's release this autumn.

'It was a pressure,' Victoria told us. 'I knew I had a lot to prove with my writing and my singing but I feel I've done that. I know I'm only going to get one shot at this. This album has got to be the best I can do. I think a lot of people read about me in the papers and see pictures and think: Victoria Beckham, Posh Spice, short skirts, high heels and that's about it. I've never been the most vocal one in the group, so for the first time I think people are going to see the real Victoria.'

Victoria says she has written a ballad for husband David and a song for baby Brooklyn. 'David really likes it even though he is really a hip hop and R&B kind of man. But he does like pop music. My album has made it into his car which is a good thing and I haven't put it there myself! Brooklyn really likes it. When he hears the single on the radio he says: 'Mummy, singing!' Brooklyn is on one of the songs on the album. I wrote a song called Every Part Of Me and he was in the studio with me. He was being a bit noisy, giggling and laughing and that sort of thing and he just ended up on the track. The whole album was a family based thing. My mum was there looking after Brooklyn and David was there when he could be for moral support.'

Victoria also told us that it's very likely that Virgin will be releasing a Spice Girls Greatest Hits but there were no plans for a Spice Girls reunion just yet. 'We're all just doing our own thing,' she said. 'We're going to take our time, exploring different avenues and see how it goes.'

Victoria also spoke about meeting Britney Spears. 'Yeah. I met her and she's lovely. She's such a nice girl. We both had a bit of a chat and people like that will admit that the Spice Girls did help make pop music cool again. I'm a big Britney fan. I think she's fantastic. I met 'N Sync and I think they are fantastic as well. Britney and 'N Sync are the best artists in pop at the moment.'

Victoria's solo album, entitled Victoria Beckham is out on 1 October. Her single, Not Such An Innocent Girl is released on 17 September. Last month, worldpop revealed that Victoria's single was originally sung by Willa Ford, the ex-girlfriend of Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter.

23.08.2001 Baby Spice to tour UK next year

Baby Spice is to do a solo UK tour next year.

She said she would also be performing live in Europe.

Emma Bunton made the revelation during a live filmed webchat hosted by Popgoss.

"I'm hoping early next year to start off in the UK and then travel around Europe," she said.

"I've got loads of ideas for dance routines and costumes. It's going to be very visual.

"It will be a great show to see. It will be lots of fun."

Emma was plugging her new single Take My Breath Away, which is out on August 27.

She said she was pleased with the response she had received for her debut solo A Girl Like Me.

"I've written about a lot of emotions that we've all been through," she said.

"It's been going really really well. The feedback's been amazing, especially in Australia and New Zealand and Europe."

Answering fans' questions, Emma also revealed her favourite all-time girl band were Bananarama, her favourite book was Of Mice And Men and her favourite food was pasta.

23.08.2001Spice Girls deny having secret sixth member

The Spice Girls have denied using a sixth member to sing on their recordings.

Sister Bliss from Faithless claimed a singer known only as Bev had the strongest vocals on a remix of The Spice Girls' hit Who Do You Think You Are?

But a spokesman for the band said Sister Bliss's claim was not true.

The DJ and Faithless producer said she found out about the "sixth Spice" when Faithless were asked to remix the girls' material.

She said: "As soon as we tried to put the vocals on Who Do You Think You Are? they sounded like chipmunks. But there was also a sixth Spice called Bev. She was the one who could really sing. Her voice was a defined presence on the master tape."

A spokesperson for the Spice Girls told The Mirror: "I don't know why Faithless are making these wild accusations. They are not true.

"As far as we are aware they have never mixed any Spice Girl songs. Who Do You Think You Are was mixed by David Morales."

23.08.2001 Kylie and Posh to front Radio 1's One Big Sunday

Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham are to headline Radio 1's final One Big Sunday event in Leicester.

Other acts include Coldplay, Craig David, Dido, Faithless, Jamiroquai and Nelly Furtado.

The free event takes place at Victoria Park, Leicester on Sunday September 2.

It is the official end to the Radio 1 live summer.

One Big Sunday will be broadcast live on Radio 1 from 1pm to 4pm.

It will be presented by Jo Whiley, Chris Moyles and The Dreem Teem with Nemone warming up the crowd.

Jo Whiley said "It's brilliant to be presenting the show and introducing such huge acts.

"I don't think anyone else other than Radio 1 could get all these artists together on one day and put them on for free."

20.08.2001 A Spice mystery

VICTORIA BECKHAM seems unsure of the Spice Girls' future.

When asked what plans they had, she said: "We don't know. We're all doing our own thing. We all want to explore different avenues on our own.

"The other girls have done a lot of solo work. I'm just starting out. I want a go at it."

20.08.2001 SIX O' THE BREAST FROM EMMA

BABY Spice Emma Bunton is a big hit as a mortar broad - as she goes out dressed like a sexy school mistress, complete with cane.

Emma, 25, unveiled her brand spanking new image at a fancy dress thrash for 23-year-old Damage star Coree Richards, bandmate of her boyfriend Jade Jones.

The beauty arrived at London's swish Rock club and announced: "Good evening gentlemen - Miss Bunton here."

Maybe she'd heard there was a strict dress code.

20.08.2001 Mel B reveals her battle to raise awareness of HIV

SPICE Girl Mel B today reveals that she is tested for Aids twice a year.

And the singer is urging her fans to follow her example as the number of HIV victims in Britain continues to rise.

Mel - patron of Aids charity Blackliners — has the test every six months in her battle to raise awareness of the dangers of the disease.

"I have a responsibility as patron and do it to try to get through to people that they should routinely ask for Aids tests," she says.

Combat

"I regularly have check-ups every six months and I just ask the doctor to give me a test at the same time. There is still a very real epidemic going on. The statistics show that.

"Unless you actually ask for an Aids test, you won't know if you're infected. And with early detection of the disease you can do a lot more to combat it."

There are more than 30,000 people in the UK living with HIV — more than ever before. More than a third of these people don't even know they have got it.

And the numbers are steadily rising. In 1986 there were 2,767 new cases of HIV. Last year there were 3,550.

Mel is particularly keen to get her Aids message across to youngsters. "No one seems willing to talk about HIV and Aids at schools," she says.

"I think everyone still has this thing in their head that if you touch someone with Aids you can catch it. Or that if you kiss them too long you can catch the disease. This just isn't the case — but the sensible message about HIV and what to do to avoid being infected doesn't seem to be getting through."

Mel, 26, has thrown herself wholeheartedly into her charity work for Blackliners, which raises awareness about Aids in ethnic communities.

She recently went on a mercy mission to Romania to ease the plight of HIV-infected orphans. She is also the patron of Women's Aid in her native Leeds, a charity for battered and abused women.

"I wanted to be involved in charity work for the right reasons," she says.

"Some people get involved to help their celebrity side of things, which is absolute b*****ks, I think. You have to want to see the grieving and the pain and do it properly. And, more importantly, raise money and awareness."

As a mother to two-year-old daughter Phoenix Chi, Mel also wants to push home the fact that HIV-positive pregnant women will not necessarily give birth to infected babies.

"There is medication you can take and certain things you can do — such as not breast-feeding — which means you can prevent your child getting the disease," says Mel.

"That was certainly something I didn't know before — even though I've had a baby myself!"

Wand

Mel juggles her charity work between being a Spice Girl, hosting her ITV talent show This Is My Moment and making plenty of time for Phoenix Chi and her boyfriend of the last two years, Max Beesley.

"I wish I could just wave a magic wand and Aids would not be there any more," she says.

"But at least if it's detected earlier you have a chance of a longer life. I will do whatever I can to make people aware of that."

TO make donations to Mel's charity, contact Blackliners, Unit 46, Eurolink Business Centre, London, SW12 1BZ. Tel: 020 7738 7468.