New girlband Parade have a new celebrity fan in Spice Girl Melanie C. Emily, Bianca, Jessica, Sian and Lauren, who are set for a Top Five hit with their debut single Louder today have been backed by Sporty Spice herself.
“Mel C has really been supportive and has been tweeting us,” says Sian. “She has been a massive inspiration and told us that we’re the closest thing she’s seen to what the Spice Girls were. They had so much energy and were so individual and we’d love to capture that. Mel’s our ultimate girl crush and had come down to watch us rehearsing a couple of time and gave us some really good advice.”

I’m sure the rest of the girls will be joining the Parade soon – especially if Geri Halliwell learns one of the Parade members also has a fetish for inappropriately squeezing bums! “I accidentally grabbed Shakira’s bum,” laughs Jessica. “We supported her on tour which was amazing and we got to have our picture with her backstage. I put my hand around her waist and ended up grabbing her bum. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t move my hand and just left it there! It was a perfect bum and luckily Shakira didn’t say anything. We do love a bit of tush!”

But luckily Parade are not hitting a bum-note in the charts and after clocking up support slots with Alexandra Burke and Shayne Ward the girls are ready to launch themselves to chart success.
“Essentially we’re pop but also have a dance-urban twist,” says Lauren. “We’re really fun, colourful and energetic and we just want everyone else to enjoy in with us.”

Since I broke the story about the Spice Girls bid to play at the 2012 Olympics I thought I’d give you an update on where we stand. So far Melanie C, Melanie B and Emma Bunton are  up for it. Victoria Beckham doesn’t seem that bothered. But Geri Halliwell tells me she’s working on persuading her. “I haven’t discussed the Olympics that much,” she told me as she launched her Next swimwear range this week. “But it would be an amazing privilege to represent our country in 2012. So we will discuss it with Victoria and will see what she thinks.”
Ginger Spice looks mighty fine in the campaign shots for the range – but she wasn’t brave enough to model the bikinis at the launch at The Savoy this week. She laughed: “I didn’t have time to work out at all for the campaign so if I look good then it’s not down to working out. I’m a mum and I stuff chocolate like everyone else. I mean, if I know you’ve got to get into a bikini then I might go for a power walk but I just don’t have the time these days to exercise like I used to.”
I finally asked her is she’d step up to the mark as a permanent X Factor judge if the rumours of Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole departing for the States are true. She said: “You’re going to have to wait and see. I think Simon Cowell would be the first to know the answer to that.” Over to you Simon….

Geri on her new range for Next: “I think in anything you do there’s pressure. But I’m not pitched up against Victoria on this one. I’m trying to keep the focus on my range and the fact it’s about giving women confidence. All I did was pick stuff and design stuff that I liked. I designed it around my boobs, if I’m honest. I tested it on myself. The bando is so I don’t have strap marks. I couldn’t find a bando with the right lift for boobs. If women have boobs they need to be kept up. Value for money is important too. You can buy either the bottoms or the tops  – so if you’re an apple or a pear you can find one that works. I always struggled finding a bikini that would fit me. Women must have the same problems so this range is for the people.”

Let me know your thoughts!

*Social Network actor Justin Timberlake hasn’t quite got the hang of twitter it would seem! Despite ‘tweeting’ occasionally Justin reveals: “I don’t get people who feel the need to tell you every aspect of their lives on Twitter!  I mean yes I do use it but only for things I think fans will find fun like backstage at events or you know places they wouldn’t normally see!  But you’re not going to find me telling you the times I’m going to the bathroom, or what desert I had at a restaurant or how much I love the new sweater I brought – or how many designer labels I’m wearing. I mean I just don’t think I’m that interesting – may be other people do?!” We want to know all of this! Like, duh!

*Spice Girl Geri Halliwell sounds like she’s keeping blooming busy behind the scenes working on launching a new girl band of young girls that she will also manage in an attempt to turn them into chart stars! I hear Geri originally was going for a mixed sex band along the lines of S-Club but now it’s a girl group of teens. My source tells me: “Geri’s been texting all her pals asking them to reveal their favourite dance tracks. So everybody assumes she’s going to get them to cover a biog dance track for their first single. She’s working her backside off on making them stars. And seems to be taking to managing a band very easily.”

*So a friend of mine bumped into Cheryl Tweedy’s ‘friend’ Derek Hough at The Grove in LA this week going to see a flick all by himself and looking glum. He did tell my pal that he’s been staying very much in touch with Cheryl despite there supposed split. “She’s been sending me the Youtube links for me to watch her girls and I think they’ve all got great potential,” Derek revealed. “I helped her with some of the visual ideas for the girl actually. I’m missing her but don’t you worry – I’ll be seeing her soon.” And on that note he walked off for his lonely solo cinema trip! So they’re still very much in touch then.

*There’s always been talk about who the mysterious girl spoken of in the lyrics for James Blunt’s hit You’re Beautiful actually is. And the man himself, who releases new single Stay The Night October 25, explains: “The girl from You’re Beautiful is a tough one. People have always wanted to know about the girl. There is a girl – she’s an ex-girlfriend. But I don’t see her. It was during university days and she’s married now. I assume she would know it was written about her.
“We don’t really speak at a great depth. She’s with a guy now. It would be wrong for me to get involved and it would be really embarrassing. Can you imagine me going: “That song was for you and about how you make me feel – now, any chance you’ll leave your husband.” It would be wrong. I’ve left it at that.” Good to hear that!

*She may be a skinny little bean and training non stop for Strictly, but Michelle Williams (above with Vanessa White of the Saturdays) is still insisting on eating uber healthily. She told me at the swish Asahi Rising Stars Cocktail Competition party this week: “I am not really a drinker but I do like my red wine a little bit. That’s fine but doing something like Strictly I don’t want to eat or drink a lot of rubbish because I won’t be in the best shape for training. I am sure I have lost weight doing Strictly but I have been toning up more than anything else.”
And the star dismissed any talk of regrouping Destiny’s Child any time soon. “I’m not in a rush for a Destiny’s Child reunion. Maybe one day but I can’t promise anything,” she added. Spoil sport!

*I don’t get why Saturdays star Vanessa White is still single. She’s a right proper catch! But she insists she’s fine about being single now. She told me at the Asahi bash: “I’m really loving being single right now. I have been on a few dates and the Sat girls are constantly trying to set me up. When I go on a date they are so annoying as they constantly text and call me for updates. Normally they just ask me for a yes or no about whether I like them then the next day I have to go through every last bit of detail of the night with them.” Sounds like a chore!

*Princess Beatrice couldn’t help but snog the face off of boy toy Dave Clark this week at the Virgin Music Red Room launch at the Kensington Roof Gardens bash. Bea turned out to support pal Sam Branson’s new band Delilah.

*Sam Branson is a jolly nice guy. He’s also the most eligible guy out there right now after his recent split from Isabella Calthorpe. And from what Sam tells me he’s perfectly happy with playing the field somewhat for the time being. “We are young and we have fun and there’s nothing wrong with doing a gig and then getting pissed up with your mates afterwards,” he says. But it sounds like his recent reputation of being a ladies man is somewhat wide of the mark. Speaking at the launch of the Virgin Red Room he fumed: “I haven’t been with nearly as many girls as people think. I don’t want to say how many I have. I don’t want to set the record straight but I have been linked to people I have never even met before which is quite ridiculous.”

*Lizzie Cundy may have a tough exterior but believe me she’s heartbroken that her footballer hubby of 16 years Jason has walked out on her and their two sons for dowdy opera singer Hannah Pedley. But she’s not sitting at home crying about it. She’s got two kids and a career to think about. The ITV at the Movies star told me: “It’s tough for my boys but I’m trying to put on a brave face and be strong. I have to keep working and I’ll get through this.
“I did think that it would never happen to me. I thought marriage was forever but it wasn’t meant to be but maybe it’s a blessing and I am sure there will be lots of good that will come out of this bad situation. You need to remain positive and think there is going to be a future and not to be scared. I’m a fighter.” You are Lizzie – keep that chin up!

*X Factor champ Joe McElderry admits he isn’t tipping current contender Katie Waisell to pinch his musical crown. The wee fella revealed he’s been a tad disappointed so far by the performances from the 24-year-old controversial contestant. He said: ‘I’m interested to see what she is going to do because there has never been a stand out performance from her.” But Joe, whose second single Ambitions is expected to chart in the Top 5 today, is tipping one of former mentor Cheryl Cole’s girls to reach the dizzy heights of the show. He told orange.co.uk/music: “At the moment I think it’s between three people – Belle Amie who I think are absolutely amazing, the falsetto stuff Matt Cardle does is really good and Rebecca is one of my favourites. I couldn’t wait to meet her when I went back to perform and just wanted to give her a cuddle!”

*Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr were just two of the guests that turned out in support of Michael McIntyre’s new autobiography Life and Laughing at Sketch this week. It’s a great read – and going head to head with Russell Brand’s side splittingly funny Booky Wook 2. Get reading!

Not content with being last year’s biggest-selling children’s author, Geri looks set to be embarking on a clothing range with Sir Philip Green and Topshop.

I caught Geri slipping into his office this week for a meeting and I’m told she’s working on a fashion range for women ‘a little older’ than Topshop’s usual customers. Good for her!

Henry and Gezza met when the Spice Girl took her two-year-old daughter Bluebell on a sunshine break to Mustique a few weeks ago and they were staying in the same resort.

I actually caught up with the star at a dinner two weeks ago and she made a point of telling everyone that she was officially “off men”. But she must have been telling us all porkies judging from these pictures! And it was only four weeks ago that Geri broke off her engagement to yacht tycoon Fabrizio Politi. I can hardly keep up….

In other news Geri’s become increasingly concerned about a creepy lone stalker that’s been hanging out around her pad in north London. A source tells me: “She’s so scared and freaked out by the hold thing. She hopes this guy will just leave her alone. But he’s terrifying her right now and keeps appearing out of nowhere and watching her – she’s scared for her daughter.” Geri’s had security at her home improved big time and is hoping he will get lost. Fingers crossed!

The 36-year-old Spice Girl phoned her dancer boyfriend, 29, three weeks ago to tell him the bad news, which has apparently left him devastated.

The pair met while Geri was on the Spice world tour and began dating in April. They spent most of the summer together in Los Angeles with Geri’s daughter Bluebell.

According to a friend of the pair, Flipz now wants to try and convince his ex to change her mind and get back together.

“She called Flipz when she returned to the UK from LA and confessed that things just weren’t working for her,” the friend told Closer magazine.

“Geri said she’d hoped it would be an amazing love-of-her-life romance, but that the spark just wasn’t there. She couldn’t deal with the distance between them and thought it was best to end it before he got even more hurt.”

Read the full split story in Closer Magazine out tomorrow!