At a glance…
- Spice Girls’ Sporty Spice, aka Sporty Spice, has married Australian model Chris Dingwell
- Her wedding photographer shared photos of the day, including a snap with her former bandmates, on his Instagram.
- Melanie and Chris have been linked together since 2024.
Everyone around the world knows Sporty Spice from the popular 90s girl group, the Spice Girls. But not everyone knows about the finer details of Melanie Chisholm’s (aka Mel C’s) family life.
Now 52 years old, the English singer-songwriter is working on her ninth solo album and will coach on The Voice Australia in 2026.
Between touring as a DJ around Australia and coaching on a reality competition series, Melanie C has found love.
Now, many are digging to discover the details about her personal life. While Melanie C is notoriously private when it comes to relationships, marriages and her children, she has let a few pieces of information slip.
Who is Melanie C’s partner?
The former Spice Girl is currently dating Australian model Chris Dingwall, who is believed to be in his forties.
The couple married on 18 July 2026 in a private ceremony. Their wedding photographer, Andrew Timms, shared the wedding photos on his Instagram and the story was covered in British Vogue.
Melanie wore a delicate white camisole dress with lace detailing designed by Victoria Beckham! Her hair was similarly simple, with loose curls.
“I’m so excited for the world to know that he’s my husband,” Melanie told British Vogue.
Melanie and Chris met on celebrity dating app, Raya.
“The spark was immediate,” Melanie told British Vogue. “I was 49 when I met Chris, and I was in a really good place. We had a date in Australia, and it’s been difficult to separate us ever since.”
They first went public with their relationship after being photographed holding hands at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2024, and later took their love to the tennis court with Wimbledon.
Mel made it Instagram official in October 2024, sharing a photo of the pair holding hands in Paris, France.
Chris celebrated Mel’s 51st birthday in January 2025, sharing a collection of photos from their time together with the caption: “Happy Birthday… Been a beautiful year. Looking forward to another amazing one with you.”
The story behind Mel’s wedding dress:
The couple had a legal ceremony in Sydney, Australia. To that event, she wore something borrowed from her former bandmate, Victoria Beckham.
“I was actually having dinner with Melanie and asked her what she was up to,” Victoria told British Vogue. “She very casually told me she was leaving for Australia in two days and getting married! When I asked what she was wearing, she mentioned she had actually ordered one of my dresses but that it didn’t quite fit, and she didn’t have time to get it altered before leaving. I happened to have that exact dress in my own wardrobe and offered to lend it to her.”
Victoria then designed Melanie’s wedding dress for the larger ceremony in Cumbria in the UK.
“Victoria wanted to make it much more personal to me,” Melanie shared. “She found some gorgeous vintage lace, and everything was really delicately dyed to the perfect shade. It’s very flattering, open at the back.
Who is Melanie Chisholm’s daughter?
Melanie C shares a daughter with her ex-partner, Thomas Starr.
Scarlett Starr was welcomed into the world on February 22, 2009, in London, six years into Mel and Thomas’ relationship.
She is Melanie’s only child. To maintain privacy, Melanie does not post photos of her teenage daughter on social media.
“He’s been such a beautiful addition to mine and my daughter’s life,” Melanie told British Vogue of her husband Chris. “I’m a single mum. My daughter is 17, and we’re pretty resilient; the two of us, we’re a team. For anybody coming into our world… it was going to be tough, and he just fits perfectly. It’s a beautiful dynamic.”
Who is Melanie C’s ex-husband?
Melanie C has never married, but she has been in two major long-term relationships.
Before her relationship with Chris, Melanie was dating Joe Marshall in 2015. Two years later, Joe became her manager, according to The Sun.
Their relationship continued for many years until they split in 2022.
Before Joe, there was Melanie C’s longest relationship yet, Thomas Starr. She dated him from 2002 to 2012. In 2009, they welcomed a daughter, Scarlett Starr.
