The first time the 'Wannabe' hitmakers performed at the BRITs in 1997 - when Ginger Spice (Geri Horner) rocked her world famous Union Jack dress - Melanie C (Sporty Spice) offered to fight then-Oasis frontman Liam after he had "bad mouthed" the girl group.

Whilst collecting one of their awards, Sporty, 46, told Liam, 47, in her speech: "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."

The 'Wonderwall' hitmaker had said he didn't want to attend the ceremony because he didn't want to bump into Melanie.

However, more than two decades later, Melanie and her bandmate Geri, 48, have insisted they are huge fans of the 'Bold' hitmaker and his solo music, and are very "civilised" whenever they bump into the outspoken star now.

Geri brought up telling the former head of Sony at the same ceremony in 1997 that the label made a "big mistake" not signing the 'Viva Forever' hitmakers during an interview with Melanie on 'Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton'.

She recalled: "When we saw Mark Morrison backstage in 1997 at the Brits and he was in this like big white fur coat ... and we were like, 'Hello!', and then there was this moment and we saw the head of Sony Records and it was our 'Pretty Woman' moment.

Do you remember when Julia Roberts is in that shop in 'Pretty Woman' and she goes 'big mistake!' … and I think when you’re in a pack you feel a little more confident …you were standing next to me with the other girls and we went up to him … and went, “You turned us down, big mistake.'

We were so so sassy with it … and Mark Morrison was sort of standing to the left of us as we did it."

Melanie - who stepped in for Fearne for the episode - said: "But you know what’s so fantastic about having that opportunity to say that, was the Brits in 1997 was almost like our homecoming wasn’t it? It was from 96, with 'Wannabe', we’d been around the world, we had all of this success, we were so celebrated … it really felt like that was the night the UK celebrated the Spice Girls wasn’t it?

In reference to Liam, Geri said: "And you put those boys in their place I remember…"

Melanie picked up: "Yeah so Liam Gallagher had been bad mouthing us and I told him to come and have a go if he thinks he’s hard enough. I’d actually never met him and I got to meet him a few months later and he was like “C’mon then, scouse” kind of offering me out ... he’s gone on to make some great records as well, so yeah, no beef."
Geri replied: "He has, really good! No beef … actually sometimes I see him in the park and it’s like, “Morning, Morning”. Its all so nice and civilised now.

Melanie quipped: "Yeah not so rock and roll anymore, are you now, Liam?"

'Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton' is available to listen to on BBC Sounds every Saturday, and is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 every Friday from 10pm-12am.

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