The one about…Baby Spice

She’s cute, arguably has one of the best voices in pop music history and she’s a diamond of a woman. Here’s how we got off to a bad start when I began in journalism.

Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!

See, I knew from the start I was going to be a showbiz reporter. From the get-go. When I was in college and I was attending party in the park events and interviewing popstars for my college projects, I was hungry for face time (not FaceTime as that wasn’t around back then, duh) with my favourite singers and I didn’t take no for an answer. I would always get in and grab the accreditation needed to get the scoop.

I’d be at college during the week, covering party in the parks all weekend and filing my quotes to the nationals and magazines I loved like Heat and Sneak to make pocket money. I was doing everything and anything to get my foot in the door of celebrity.

Unlike some, I had no family members who could help me get on the ladder. Or friends. All I had was a great tutor at college called Sarah Onions who told me I was going to be a journalist…even before I knew I was going to be one. I still to this day have her to thank for everything. I never would have starting writing without her pointing out I had all the skills needed. Aside from one…I couldn’t write for shit at the start. But what I did have was  a skill far better than being a good writer – a skill that would allow me to get into the national newspapers quickly – I knew what a story was and I could always get one.

I first met Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice at a Party in the Park somewhere (see the above V STALKY picture) in the south of England. Maybe Portsmouth - as I did a journalism course there. But it could have been anywhere on the south coast to be honest. I can’t remember half the events I’ve attended – especially considering some weeks I’d attend up to 20 red carpet moments.  

It was a thrill to meet my first Spice Girl in real life. I remember waiting nervously and patiently for her to have a make-up touch up. I had a sweaty brow. I can’t have been more than 19 at the time. God knows what the questions were – probably very generic. But I didn’t care – it was my first Spice encounter. I got time with all sorts of names from back in the heyday of pop music. You know - Steps, Spice Girls, Atomic Kitten, S Club 7…the list goes on.

I went to my local paper aged 20 and worked for eight months on the Sutton Guardian before handing in my notice to run off to the bright lights of Canary Wharf where I joined the Daily Mirror and 3am as what I like to describe as their silent assassin.

See, I worked with the original line-up of the 3am girls who were notorious in the industry for being mega bitchy and mega successful in breaking stories. Their faces were on the column, but my face was completely unknown. My byline wasn’t plastered anywhere either - meaning I could slip into clubs and aftershow parties without being noticed or thrown out. Most people probably thought I was some dorky competition winner. Little did they know ;-)

By the time I left the Mirror only a year or so later (don’t ask, I was young and the infighting between everyone was a lot to deal with) and moved across to the Sunday People I was starting to get a name for myself. People knew I had a way of getting into parties and I’d usually come back with the goods.

But my next run in with Emma was a scenario where I learnt a lesson in how to build a relationship and work with celebrities rather than get a reputation for being a knob jockey hack who couldn’t be trusted and should be avoided at all costs. Of which there are many…

I’ll set the scene for you. Much of my time was spent in Mayfair back then in 2001 and 2002. I’d either be in Chinawhite, Funky Buddha or Mahiki and snooping around for a story. I’d started to cultivate relations with all sorts of people on the doors and the promoters who worked inside and generally would either sneak you in or chuck you a bone to get them publicity.

At the beginning I struggled to get past the clipboard Nazis, as we liked to refer to them. Wonderful June on the door of Chinawhite was particularly hard on me. She’d sometimes make me wait outside the club all night not allowing me to slip past for a fruitful night of watching the stars inside. But I’d have to stay in case The Sun were there and got a better story. Fortunately, I managed to charm the likes of June over the years and eventually I could always get in.

But one night at Funky Buddha I learnt a lesson the hard way in how not to keep a nice reputation in the industry – and it involves Emma.

I’d gone in without any idea of who I was likely to meet and that was when I spotted her sat on the right hand side of the club. I’m pretty sure P Diddy was there that night. He was always knocking about in Mayfair. She was with a gaggle of girlfriends (not THE girls) and enjoying her night. We obviously knew each other’s faces a little by then and we struck up a conversation about life over a box of Benson & Hedges. That’s what Baby smoked back then. Gross, looking back on it. Possibly likely that was all we were able to buy inside the club. For those of you youngsters – YES we used to smoke inside and generally you’d come out of a club stinking like you’d been inside a kipper smoker. You’d have to wash your clothes each time after a night out. And even if you didn’t smoke you’d stink.

Anyway, we’d had a big fat gossip. Talking about life, talking about the chances of a Spice reunion, the other girls and generally just talking. Now, this wasn’t an interview. This was casual. We were drinking vodka and both of us were half cut. We were chain-smoking. It may have actually been a Sunday night. I didn’t record it on a Dictaphone. I just did what I’d always did – went to the bathroom with my brick-sized Nokia 9210 and generally I’d text my mum or dad with a load of rough quotes and then in the morning they’d send them back to me so I had them on file and I could write up the gossip.

With Emma on this particular night I wrote everything down and the next day I wrote up the story. I’d only just joined the People and I desperately wanted to make a good impression to the bosses as I’d only just got my foot under the table, so to speak.

I filed the story not thinking much about it. Back then you really had no idea what would even make it into the paper as usually the columnists or the Showbiz editors who would decide what went in and you could easily find yourself on the cutting room floor. But with this piece they loved it.

I got the shock of my life the next Sunday when my interview with Emma was splashed on the front of the paper. And it read “EMMA EXCLUSIVE: The truth about the Spice Girls and me.” Or something along those lines. It had been packaged to look as if Emma had given an exclusive interview and dished the dirt on the whole band. Which really hadn’t happened. I’d written it “soft” compared to what had gone in. Once a big dollop of ‘tabloid spin’ had been added to the equation it looked like a huge world exclusive and even the quotes had been worked up into something that didn’t sound like what she’d said. I didn’t think too much about it but assumed this was just what happened with celebrity reporters. I was chuffed to have a big fat byline attached to the splash, possibly my first ever splash (the splash was the front cover story – whether it be the top or the main lead in showbiz terms).

The news editor was clearly really happy with my work and on that Sunday I received a magnum of Perrier Jouet to my mum and dad’s house where I was still living at the time.

Fast forward to Tuesday when I return from my weekend and there’s a phone call from Emma’s FURIOUS PR person who informed me Emma was gutted I’d decided to use quotes from what she’d considered to be a private night out within a nightclub to form a front page exclusive.

Now, I’m not a confrontational person. In fact, I hate the thought of anybody being really upset with my actions. To this day it fills me with anxiety and fear if I know something I’ve done has pissed somebody off. This was even worse because I’d done this to a Spice Girl. I guess part of me was a little naive and I should have known better and been more clued up after a year on 3am learning the ropes. I sent her flowers to apologise with a handwritten note to say I was sorry for the incident. Fortunately, Emma being Emma we were able to make up quickly. She realised I was a young gun having a lot of fun and learning the ropes still. It was a genuine life lesson learnt. I guess her PR – who I really got on with – had also said it wasn’t worth going catatonic over when somebody like me could prove useful in the future especially with her solo career starting to take flight.

This doesn’t excuse what I did. This was a lesson learnt on my half. To be honest apart from a hideous episode with Jade Jagger (don’t ask and I’m really not going to give her any airtime here) since this moment with Emma I’ve rarely, if ever, made a mistake like that again. You see, even though I fought hard to get into the tabloids and the magazines, I know it wasn’t going to be forever. In fact, I knew once I started to make friends with some ‘celebrities’ that I wasn’t interested in remaining a writer in the columnist world. Gossip will always sell and trust me when I say I could write a thousand front page splashes and probably still have space for more with the amount of gossip I know...but I never would break anybody’s confidence again like that.

As I navigated my way through other newspaper titles, magazines (from weekly to monthly) and then finally ending my writing career on Fleet Street back at the Sunday Mirror I remained faithful to Emma – she’s a gem. When I was at Closer I ensured I paid her to be our Christmas cover star with another pal at the time, Dannii Minogue. You’ll see us back then on the shoot day! I supported Emma with her solo career in every possible way wherever I was writing and if we bumped into each other at an award’s show like below with Melanie we always have a good catch up. Nowadays, we’ve got mutual friends too – so if she ever needs help or advice…I’m here for her. Also, if she ever needs a dinner spot to celebrate a nice occasion, she’ll check in and I’ll help her organize something special.

One thing I’ve always loved about Emma is the fact she adores being a Spice Girl. She’s always ready to go back on tour with the band at the drop of a hat. She’s also a lot of fun at a party and loves a glass of champagne. And as I said above. When you break down the voices of the Spice Girls and pop music in general – she’s got one of the most notorious vocals the pop world has ever seen.

J’adore the Bunton. A woman who taught me lessons very early on in how to be a decent journalist, a good friend and avoid the perils of being a shitty Fleet Street hack. Even if she did have to deal with my Bambi-esque showbiz journalism skills at the very beginning.

Also worth noting, I’ve still to this day haven’t opened that magnum of champagne. It sits in my mum’s wine cabinet in my mum’s front porch and I doubt I’ll ever drink it. The whole situation left a bitter taste in my mouth and for years it just didn’t feel like a deserved that bottle…

That’s just me!

This newsletter concludes the Spice Girls series I’ve been writing for my past five newsletters. Hope you’ve enjoyed some insights into my time with the band as a writer. There’s OBVS lots more gossip. But what goes on tour stays on tour – but being able to give you a personal account of my time with some of the band has been a pleasure. Do leave a comment below…I’d love to hear what you’re enjoying about this newsletter…

Next week, I’m going to be writing about Madonna. Much to discuss. Get ready.

Until then, Kids. Stay safe.