Mel C is married! Sporty Spice, 52, ties the knot with her model boyfriend Chris Dingwall in a ‘perfect’ countryside ceremony in a stunning gown designed by her pal Victoria Beckham

She was the last of the Spice Girls to walk down the aisle, but Melanie Chisholm married Australian model Chris Dingwall at the age of 52.

Miss Chisholm, better known as Sporty Spice or Mel C, said ‘I do’ at Country House Cumbria in the Lake District on Saturday, wearing a simple white floor-length dress while holding a bouquet of flowers from a wildflower meadow.

She was joined by bandmates Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown and Geri Halliwell-Horner, but Victoria Beckham could not attend the World Cup because she was in the USA.

But Victoria made sure she was still involved in her friend’s big day when she designed Mel’s stunning backless wedding dress.

A source told The Mail On Sunday: ‘It was a gift from Victoria, they are really close. Victoria would love to be there if it were possible.’

Despite Posh’s absence, guests say it was a ‘perfect’ ceremony, with Ms Chisholm’s 17-year-old daughter Scarlett from her relationship with property developer Thomas Starr acting as bridesmaid.

But there was a slight hiccup as the singer and Mr Dingwall exchanged vows when a herd of cows from a nearby farm raced towards the Georgia venue. The guests panicked when they saw the animals.

Sources say the couple want an ‘intimate’ wedding and it is expected to be a small affair, although their Spice Girls friends will also be joining them.

A source added: ‘Mel and Chris wanted a low-key wedding, she wanted something smaller and very elegant, not a big flashy day.

‘Mel swore she would never marry, big business wasn’t her thing.

‘This was the perfect venue for them, completely secluded but in the most beautiful location and everyone had a great time.

‘Victoria couldn’t be there but she loves Mel and will make sure she sends a nice gift.’

Set in the picturesque Cumbrian countryside, Country House Cumbria claims to be ‘the perfect setting for a small, sophisticated getaway’, which Ms Chisholm is said to be very keen on.

It is owned by West End actor Ben Forster, who starred with him in the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar in 2013, and property developer Paul Longman.

Ms Chisholm met Mr Dingwall, thought to be in his 40s, on private dating app Raya in 2023.

She admitted that she initially thought the romance was over after she split from previous long-term partners, including Mr Starr.

Mel said ‘I do’ in a ‘simple and intimate’ ceremony at Country House Cumbria in the Lake District, attended by all her Spice Girls bandmates except Victoria

Mel went public with Australian model and author Chris in 2024 after months of speculation about their romance.

But during a night out at the bar, his friends convinced him to download the app, turning the search for a partner into a game they jokingly called ‘boy Bingo’.

Mel matched with Chris while he was in London and living in Sydney.

Despite the distance, he planned an upcoming Australian DJ tour and decided to try his hand at the model.

Mel recently opened up about her future with Chris and whether wedding bells might be in her plans.

She told The Times in January: ‘It’s not something I thought would be part of my story but I’m so pleased with Chris. Maybe it’s something that will happen in my life.’

In May, she talked about how some elements of her new album Sweat were inspired by her boyfriend.

He said: ‘Shortly after recording I met someone new, fell in love and so had a wonderful cycle of emotions throughout the album; heartbreak followed by the excitement of a new relationship.’

He added to the Telegraph: ‘He’s very laid back. He is so much fun…we work together. ‘We have very similar personalities and lifestyles.’

Mel had previously given up on marriage, but admitted in a recent interview that her deep loneliness during the Spice Girls years contributed to her battle with depression.

The singer wrote about her diagnosis of clinical depression in her 2022 memoir, describing how she hit rock bottom when the Spice Girls split in 2000 and her problems with binge drinking and binge eating intensified.

Mel explained how her depression was ‘very environmental’ and was partly caused by feeling ‘lonely’.

At the height of the Spice Girls’ fame in the late nineties, most of Mel’s bandmates had established relationships. Victoria married David Beckham in 1999 and had her first child; Mel B married her first husband Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 and also gave birth to her first child; Emma Bunton began her romance with now-husband Jade Jones in 1999.

Geri Halliwell, meanwhile, was enjoying a string of high-profile romances, which led her to admit she felt left behind by Mel.

To talk Louis Theroux Podcast He said being single “has really been a pretty big theme of my adult life.” ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a long-term relationship.’

She insisted that she has never dated a fan and explained that the perception that sex and fame go hand in hand is very wrong.

‘This is completely different. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, other people had a better success rate than me,” the pop star explained.

‘You know, like historically with boy bands or rock bands, it’s like, ‘oh, you know, pick a member of the crowd…bring him back.’ Our concerts were not like this.’

‘They were full of teenage girls and gays, which were the best audience. You cannot receive any transactions. But sometimes it was pretty lonely for me.

‘I think I was the only one in the group who didn’t have a partner a lot of times when we worked together… I would love to date. I had a dry spell. That’s what we call it.’

He added that his depression stemmed from ‘the experiences I’ve had and reaching a point where I can’t continue to live the way I’m living.’

‘This was a really long road back to health and I never stopped. “It was also a different time because it probably would have been nice to go and have some time to heal, but I was on tour and promoting my solo stuff,” he said.

Mel had some high-profile romances in the nineties; A brief, month-long fling with Robbie Williams in 1997, at the height of their ’90s pop fame.

In her 2022 memoir, Mel reveals how she was heartbroken after Robbie ‘treated her badly’. The Take That star led her on and then “suddenly” dropped her, leaving her heartbroken.

‘It was a million years ago and it lasted two seconds. Oh my god, this sounds really bad. “Oh, okay,” he told Louis Theroux.

Mel had a four-month romance with another boy band star, 5ive’s J Brown, in 2000, and the star admitted she is still friends with her “cute” ex.

‘Actually, I haven’t talked to him for a while, but he’s my ex who I remain friends with. “I don’t stay friends with many exes, but he’s such a sweet kid,” she said.

‘I saw Robbie recently. I mean, God, we were kids. Do you know what I mean? It’s like we’re talking about 20-odd years ago. About 30 years ago. It’s been a while.”