With deep personal insight, remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour, the book tells how she went from Girl Power to girl powerless during her ten-year emotionally abusive marriage. Tracing a path through the key moments in her life, she reflects on her childhood, rise to fame and her chilling downward spiral before she finally broke free.
In this expanded edition, written with Louise Gannon, Mel brings her story up to date. With her trademark honesty, she tells the unfiltered story of piecing herself back together, dealing with trauma and new heartbreak whilst becoming a champion for survivors of abuse, performing once more with the Spice Girls and receiving her MBE from Prince William.
Since 2000, Melanie has become one of the most recognised faces on television, fronting shows from Lip Sync UK, The X Factor in Britain and Australia, Dancing with the Stars in Australia and America’s Got Talent. She has also starred in a string of movies most recently Idris Elba’s A New Diva Christmas Carol. She has appeared on Broadway in Rent and as Roxie Hart in Chicago. A judge on Australia’s Masked Singer, she remains one of the most popular stars in Britain and America and since the release of Brutally Honest in 2018 has been Patron of Woman’s Aid, speaking at Westminster, 10 Downing Street and at party conferences on behalf of survivors. In Queen Elizabeth's final honours in 2022, she was awarded an MBE for services to vulnerable women. She lives with her family in Leeds.
Louise Gannon is one of the most respected and prolific celebrity interviewers in Britain. Most A-listers – from Mick Jagger to Jack Nicholson and Madonna – have sat down with her. She frequently appears on television to share her unique insight into the celebrity world. During her 25-year career, the award-winning journalist has written for every British newspaper and contributed to magazines including Elle and Grazia, You and The Sunday Times Magazine, as well as US publications such as Vanity Fair.