Mel C looked every inch the newlywed on Saturday, sharing a tender moment with her new husband, Chris Dingwall, after exchanging vows in front of family and friends.
Best known to fans for her Sporty Spice style, the singer embraced a very different look for the occasion, stepping out as Bridal Spice in an elegant backless satin wedding gown.
The 52-year-old star’s delicate dress featured slim spaghetti straps and a figure-skimming silhouette, beautifully highlighting her athletic frame and visible tattoos.
Holding a white wildflower meadow-style bouquet in one hand, Mel nestled close to her Australian model husband as the couple soaked up their first moments as newlyweds.
The pair appeared completely smitten as they enjoyed a quiet pause away from their guests in the grounds of the Country House Cumbria in the Lake District on Saturday.
Among those watching Mel tie the knot were her Spice Girls bandmates Emma Bunton, Mel B and Geri Halliwell-Horner, while Victoria Beckham was unable to attend because she is in the US for the World Cup.
Victoria still played a special role in the celebration, however, by designing Mel’s striking wedding dress for the big day.
Mel C looked radiant as she shared an intimate newlywed moment with husband Chris Dingwall after saying “I do” in front of their loved ones
While she may be known her love of tracksuits, Sporty Spice became Bridal Spice for her big day, looking incredible in a backless satin wedding dress
The singer, 52, showed off her tattoos in the delicate dress, which featured spaghetti straps and clung to her athletic figure
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It was a gift from Victoria; they are really close. Victoria would have loved to have been there if she could.’
A source close to Victoria added: ‘It was her great pleasure to make the dress for Mel.
‘She was sad she couldn’t be there because she’s in the US with David and, of course, the World Cup plans had been set for a long time.
‘But she was wishing her all the best from afar for Mel’s special day.’
Despite Posh’s absence, guests say that it was a ‘perfect’ ceremony, where Mel’s daughter Scarlett, 17, from her relationship with property developer Thomas Starr, acted as a bridesmaid.
However, there was a slight hiccup when a herd of cows from a nearby farm ran towards the Victorian venue while the singer and Chris were saying their vows. Guests looked alarmed when they saw the animals.
Sources say that the couple wanted an ‘intimate’ wedding, and while they were joined by her fellow Spice Girls, it was expected to be a small affair.
A source added: ‘Mel and Chris wanted an understated wedding, she didn’t want a big flashy day but something smaller and very classy.
‘Mel swore she would never get married, having a big do wasn’t really for her.
‘It is the perfect venue for them, totally out of the way but in the most beautiful place and everyone had the most fantastic time.
In one hand Mel C clutched her bridal bouquet, a white wildflower meadow arrangement
‘Victoria couldn’t be there but she loves Mel, and she will have made sure that she sent a beautiful present.’
Nestled in the picturesque Cumbrian countryside, the Country House Cumbria claims to be the ‘perfect setting for an elopement, small, sophisticated wedding’, which Mel is said to have been keen to have.
It is co-owned by West End actor Ben Forster, who starred alongside her the the stage production of the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar in 2013, and his property developer partner Paul Longman.
Mel met Chris, thought to be in his 40s, in 2023 on the exclusive dating app, Raya.
She admitted she originally thought she was finished with romance following her split from previous long-term partners, including Thomas Starr.
Despite Posh’s absence, guests say that it was a ‘perfect’ ceremony, where Mel’s daughter Scarlett, 17, from her relationship with property developer Thomas Starr, acted as a bridesmaid
There was a slight hiccup during their vows when a herd of cows from a nearby farm ran towards the Victorian venue
Nestled in the picturesque Cumbrian countryside, the Country House Cumbria claims to be the ‘perfect setting for an elopement, small, sophisticated wedding’
Earlier in the day, Mel’s bandmate Geri Halliwell-Horner was seen arriving at the wedding venue with her husband Christian
While Victoria Beckham was unable to attend she ensured she was still involved in her pal’s big day, as she designed Mel’s stunning wedding gown (pictured in 2018)
But during a night out at the pub, her friends convinced her to download the app, turning the search for a partner into a game they jokingly dubbed ‘boy Bingo’.
Mel matched with Chris while she was in London and he was living in Sydney.
Despite the distance, she had an upcoming Australian DJ tour planned and decided to take a chance on the model.
Mel recently opened up about her future with Chris – and whether wedding bells could be in their plans.
She told The Times in January: ‘It’s something I didn’t think would be part of my story, but I’m so happy with Chris. Maybe it is something that will be in my life.’
In May, she explained how elements of her new album Sweat were inspired by her future husband-to-be.
She said: ‘Not long into making the record, I met somebody new, I fell in love, and so I ended up having this wonderful arc of emotions throughout the album – of heartbreak and then that excitement of a new relationship.’
She added to The Telegraph: ‘He’s very laid-back. He’s loads of fun… we work out together. We have very similar personalities and lifestyles.’
Mel had previously sworn off marriage, but in a recent interview she admitted her deep loneliness during her Spice Girls years contributed to her battle with depression.
The singer wrote about her clinical depression diagnosis in her 2022 memoir, Who I Am: My Story, revealing how she hit rock bottom when the Spice Girls split in 2000 and her issues with binge drinking and binge eating intensified.
Mel has explained how her depression ‘was very environmental’ and stemmed in part from feeling ‘lonely’.
At the height of the Spice Girls’ fame in the late 1990s, most of Mel’s bandmates were in settled relationships. Victoria had married and welcomed her first child with David Beckham by 1999, Mel B married first husband Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 and had her first child a year later, while Emma Bunton began a romance with her now-husband Jade Jones in 1999.
Meanwhile, Geri Halliwell was enjoying a string of high-profile romances, leading Mel to admit she felt left behind.
Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, she said being single ‘has been quite a big theme of my adult life, really. It was a long time before I was in a long-term relationship’.
She insisted she never dated a fan, explaining that the perception of sex and fame going hand-in-hand was wide off the mark.
‘It’s completely different. I mean, don’t get me wrong, other people had a better success rate than I did,’ the popstar explained.
‘You know, like historically with boy bands or rock bands, it’s like, “Oh, you know, pick a member of the crowd… bring her back”. Our gigs weren’t like that.
‘They were full of young girls and gays, which are the best audience. You just don’t get any action. But it was quite lonely for me at times.
‘I think there was many times in the band when we were working together where I was the only one without a partner… I would have liked to have dated. I had a dry spell. That’s what we call it.’
Talking about her years with the Spice Girls, Mel C said: ‘I think there was many times in the band when we were working together where I was the only one without a partner… I would have liked to have dated’
Mel went public with Australian model and writer Chris in 2024 after months of speculation about their romance
She added that her depression came from ‘the experiences that I’d had, and just getting to that point where I couldn’t continue living the way I was living’.
‘That was a really long road back to health, and I never really stopped. It was a different time as well, because I probably would have benefited to go off and have some time to heal, but I was touring and promoting my solo stuff,’ she said.
Mel did have some high-profile romances in the 1990s, including a brief, month-long fling with Robbie Williams in 1997 at the height of their pop fame.
In her memoir, Mel writes about how she was left heartbroken by Robbie after he ‘behaved badly’, claiming that the Take That star led her on and then ‘abruptly’ dropped her, which left her heartbroken.
‘It was a million years ago and lasted two seconds. Oh God, that sounds really bad. Oh, well,’ she told Theroux.
Mel went on to have a four-month romance in 2000 with another boyband star – J Brown from 5ive, with the Mel C admitting she is still friends with her ‘lovely’ ex.
‘I’ve not spoken to him for a while actually, but he’s an ex I’ve remained friends with. I don’t remain friends with many exes, but he’s a lovely boy,’ she said.
‘I saw Robbie recently. I mean, God, we were kids. Do you know what I mean? It’s like we’re talking like, 20-odd years ago. Nearly 30 years ago. It’s a long time.’
