Portal:North West England/Selected biography/4

Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974 in Whiston, Merseyside) is an English singer, songwriter and television personality most famous as one of the five members of English girl group the Spice Girls, where she is known as "Sporty Spice". She is also known as Melanie C or Mel C. As a solo artist she has released four albums and was nominated for a BRIT and ECHO awards. Chisholm holds the record for female who has co-written the most UK number-one singles (equal with Madonna) Chisholm is also third after Lennon and McCartney for most UK number-one singles for a British co-writer.

Prior to becoming a member of the Spice Girls, Chisholm had been studying at the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in Sidcup, Kent. She was a student on the Diploma course at the college, studying dance, singing, drama and musical theatre. It was while Chisholm was still at college that the advert appeared in the The Stage, that Chris & Brob Herbert were looking to form a new girl group, which would later become the Spice Girls. Chisholm left the college having nearly completed her 3 year course and holds teaching qualifications in Tap and Modern Theatre Dance with the ISTD.