Twice the Spice

Fitness fanatic Mel C has undergone a dramatic transformation in just a few months - she's pumped so much iron that she's almost twice her usual size, with strong thighs, a thick belly and muscly arms.

Looking more like Beefy Spice than Sporty Spice, Mel's barely-there bikini shows off her bulging muscles, as she frolics by the beach with a close friend, 28-year-old Chai Ying Yau, in Barbados. While other celebrities blindly follow the thin-is-in ethos, Mel, 26, prefers to be healthy, fit and strong.

Although there have been reports that Mel had dropped her fitness regime, and that the new look is the result of weight gain, it appears she's deliberately piled on the muscles. Where once she had a trim, toned stomach and tiny butt, there's now more bulk. Coupled with the new tattoos and the closely cropped hair, she's nothing like the sweet-faced girl who rose to fame with the Spice Girls five years ago.

And it's these changes that have her fans confused. Although she's got one of the world's most recognisable faces, it took some convincing for holidaymakers in Barbados to believe they were swimming near the Spice Girl. "I couldn't believe it when I saw it was Mel C in the water," says one witness. "She looked totally different. She was more like a Russian shot-putter than a glamorous Spice Girls star."

There's no denying Mel is super-fit, but whether she's taken her intense fitness regime too far is the next question. In an interview with NW last October, she admitted she enjoyed the rush she got when she used weights.

"I used to do a lot of cardio, because I didn't want my vocals to suffer while I was on stage running around and being really energetic," she said. "But there's not a lot of me, and I wanted to get more muscular. I started doing more weights. I don't know whether it's the adrenaline and endorphins or whatever, but I started getting pretty addicted to it. I like lifting heavy weights."

Sydney-based fitness instructor Malcolm Derbridge says it's not unusual for people to achieve such dramatic results soon after changing their fitness routine. Until recently, Mel was probably concentrating on strength and resistance training, but he says she's now probably working on adding muscle mass to her frame. He says Mel would probably lifting the heaviest weights possible, has changed what she eats, and may also be taking diet supplements.

Malcolm says Mel couldn't have "accidentally" piled on the muscle. "If you didn't want to achieve that look, you'd stop."

While it's not necessarily a popular look for women, Mel is following in the footsteps of high profile tennis players Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo, who have both bulked up in recent years. Because of their size, both women have had to defend themselves from accusations of steroid abuse - something Mel's manager also angrily denies.

"She has always been a strong-framed girl and loves her sports," he says. "She is very fit, very happy and very healthy. She has a new boyfriend, a hit single and is very relaxed. I presume she has put on some extra muscle down at the gym."

And apart from the dramatic change in her body shape, the other main talking point of Mel's Carribean holiday was the nature of her friendship with Chai, although until recently she was reported to be dating J from the boy band Five.

British newspapers reported last week that even though Mel could definately afford to splash out on more than one room at the $1000-a-night hotel, she and Chai chose to sleep in the same suite, with two single beds, which the girls requested to be pushed together to form a double.

Mel had booked into the romantic getaway under the name Flo Cha, but didn't seem concerned to be at the centre of attention. She and Chai made little attempt to hide their friendship, choosing to act just like all the other holidaymakers, swimming in the public beach across from the hotel, and enjoying breakfast in the seaside restaurant.

Defending the relationship, friends of Mel say that Chai is purely a travelling companion, nothing more. "When you are at the level of fame she is, and do the travelling she does, you need someone to look after you."

That, according to Mel, is the extent of their relationship. "Are people that uneducated they think because I have my hair short and a few tattoos, it means I'm gay? I know the truth, and so do my mates."

Mel, back when she was looking more skinny-sporty than muscle-sporty.