It was recently revealed that Mel B, Emma Bunton, and Geri Horner – formerly known as Geri Halliwell – are planning a concert and new material to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Spice Girls’ debut single Wannabe.

Victoria Beckham and Mel C, however, will not be taking part.

In a new essay for LOVE magazine, the artist formerly known as Sporty Spice, has revealed why she is so against another Spice Girls reunion.

And a lot of it has to do with how her “relationship with fame has changed over the years”.

Read more: A Spice Girls reunion is happening

Looking back at the 90s, when she and her fellow Spice Girls first appeared in the charts, Mel C explains that celebrities were able to maintain a “little bit of mystery and intrigue”.

As a result, there was “glamour, excitement, and you looked at your idols in a completely different way” – they were famous for what they had achieved, and their private lives remained just that: private.

Over the years, however, the 42-year-old has seen the world become more and more obsessed with the minutiae of celebrities' lifestyles – with many of the rich and famous taking to social media to share intimate details about their relationships, homes, and even what they’ve eaten for dinner.

“I’m a singer and songwriter. Not a celebrity,” says Mel C. “The two are very different things. You can earn a fortune being a ‘celebrity’ depending on how much dignity you want to keep in tact.”

Adding that she often feels “sorry for young people in the public eye now”, the singer goes on to explain that “the fascination with the band never seems to go away. It’s a blessing and a curse all at the same time.

“Daily I’m asked ‘are the girls getting back together?’ Then it’s When? How? Why?”

She adds that, when she heard that the original Posh Spice would not be involved in a reunion, she felt as if she had no choice but to turn it down herself, too.

"We were a five-piece band," she reminds readers. "Didn't we reach a peak with the Olympics? There's a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.

"For me the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out 'Spice up Your Life' on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics. Anything less than the full line-up just didn't feel like we'd be doing justice to the band or the fans."

Read more: The feminist legacy of the Spice Girls

Mel C finishes by asking fans to stop wishing for the Spice Girls to reunite; the I Turn To You singer wants the band to be remembered for what they achieved together, rather than a belated comeback tour.

 “Look, I will be a Spice Girl until I die,” she says. “But the continuous speculation on whether we will reform to celebrate 20 years of ‘Wannabe’ has been particularly exhausting. Don’t get me wrong - I totally get it. But is it a new rule that bands have to reform?

“Why can’t we just be remembered for our incredible achievements in the nineties?”

You can read Mel C’s full essay over at LOVE magazine now.

Image: Rex Features