United Kingdom, May 1 -- Melanie C once got a weight bench as a Christmas present from her dad.

The 52-year-old pop star adopted the nickname Sporty Spice during her time in the Spice Girls, but Melanie's passion for health and fitness goes back well before then.

Melanie - who starred in the Spice Girls alongside Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner, and Victoria Beckham - told the Guardian newspaper: "I had an incident when I was at school. I was quite skinny as a kid and there was a girl who took a dislike to me and tried to beat me up.

"She didn't succeed. But I asked my dad for a weight bench that year for Christmas from Argos. So that's when I started my strength training journey because I just thought: 'I want to be able to handle mys...