Geri Halliwell has issued an apology to devastated Spice Girls fans

Viva Forever, girl power

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

When Geri Halliwell suddenly announced she was leaving the Spice Girls in 1998, the hearts of every girl power-advocating, Wannabe-singing eight year old were crushed. Nothing would be the same again! No amount of playing Goodbye on loop through our trusty Walkmans while sobbing into our Groovy Chick pillowcase would ever quell the sadness inside us! Even Prince Charles couldn't believe it, writing to her personally to say: 'The group will not be the same without you.'

And it wasn't. The remaining Spice Girls split shortly afterwards, and that was that.

So when the news of a reunion with Geri, Mel B and Emma Bunton began circulating last year, we started rummaging for the Union Jack dress we once drunkenly bought on Ebay - only to have our hearts shattered again when the girls decided to postpone their tour.

However, in a glittering bid for redemption, Geri has come forward to apologise to every die-hard Spice Girl fan who was never quite the same after her shocking departure nineteen years ago.

A fan account tweeted a compilation video about Geri's decision to leave back in 1998, saying: '19 years ago today, it was announced that @GeriHalliwell had left the middle of their world tour.'

If you can watch that without welling up you're a Viking.

Hundreds of fans commented, sharing their personal experiences of the devastating moment - which is when Ginger Spice herself decided to step in, saying: 'I'm sorry about that... everything works out in the end, that's what my mum says!'

Fans were over the moon with her response, letting her know that she was - of course - forgiven.

At the time, Geri released a statement saying: 'Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I’m sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best.'

But in a clip from an interview on Oprah: Where Are They Now? Geri reveals that there was another reason she had to leave.

'I felt much more conscious of myself, my body weight,' she admits.

'We all used different tools to get by, coping mechanisms. For me [it] was controlling my body weight... I started being bulimic and no one would notice it because your body weight stays pretty much the same. It’s bloody dangerous.'