Zig-a-zig-ah! The Spice Girls Then & Now

Celebrate Geri Halliwell's 51st birthday with a look back on the beloved girl group

Victoria Beckham, Mel C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Mel B from The Spice Girls
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Friendship never ends! Though the Spice Girls are long disbanded, the five women — Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Victoria Beckham — frequently speak fondly of one another and continue to tease fans with the possibility of more reunions down the road.

With Geri Halliwell celebrating another birthday — she's 51 years old on Aug. 6, 2023 — catch up with the members of the iconic girl group, then and now.

01 of 05

Geri Halliwell, Ginger Spice

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Halliwell, who joked she looked "like a drag queen" as Ginger Spice, welcomed her son Montague in 2017, her first child with husband Christian Horner. She also has a daughter from a previous relationship, Bluebell. Halliwell, 51, released a new single in 2017 in memory of friend George Michael, calling herself "forever your fan" in the video's dedication.

Nineteen years after leaving the Spice Girls in the middle of a world tour, Halliwell offered an apology to fans, tweeting, "I'm sorry about that… everything works out in the end, that's what my mum says! X."

She reunited with her bandmates for her milestone birthday in 2022, the same year in which she was cast in the upcoming Gran Turismo movie.

02 of 05

Emma Bunton, Baby Spice

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Baby Spice is all grown up, now 47, with two children, Beau and Tate, with husband Jade Jones. Bunton most recently served as an "architect" on the reality competition series Boy Band on ABC, where she advised wannabe boy band members.

The series made the performer nostalgic for her girl group glory days. "I had such an awesome experience," she told PEOPLE. "We were conquering all these countries, and it was just like, wow."

03 of 05

Melanie Brown, Scary Spice

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Mel B more recently reacted to gut-wrenching performances as a judge on America's Got Talent alongside Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel. Aside from holding that seat from 2011, Brown, 48, experienced a tumultuous divorce from Stephen Belafonte, complete with a restraining order against a nanny she claims had an affair with him. As a result, in August 2018, she sought treatment for PTSD.

But in happier news, Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, is proud mom to daughters Madison, Angel and Phoenix (who recently dressed up like her mama!), and she's engaged to love Rory McPhee.

04 of 05

Melanie Chisholm, Sporty Spice

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Mel C, now a solo singer-songwriter and mother to Scarlet with ex Thomas Starr, revealed that she developed an eating disorder during her Sporty Spice days. "I was in the spotlight, being photographed constantly, and I started to become self conscious of my body image," she told BBC Good Food.

In 2016, Chisholm, now 49, also slowed any talks of her involvement in a Spice Girls reunion. "The fascination with the band never seems to go away," she wrote in a Love Magazine personal essay. "It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time."

05 of 05

Victoria Beckham, Posh Spice

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Wife to former soccer star David Beckham and mother to Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, Victoria, 49, has focused much of her career as of late on fashion, but did give a glimpse at a return to singing when she stopped by the Late Late Show in a humorous reboot of 1987's Mannequin with host James Corden.

Though she didn't join the 2019 Spice Girls reunion tour, she did express some regret over her decision in an interview with The Guardian. "I'm sure when they are on stage, a part of me will feel a bit left out," she said. "Because a part of me will always be a Spice Girl."

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