MELANIE C SWELL ON VICTORIA BECKHAM

ABOVE: Victoria Beckham is coping well a month on from the vicious claims about hubby David

VICTORIA Beckham is coping well a month on from the vicious claims about hubby David, says close pal Melanie C.

Posh couldn’t be blamed for pouting – for once – after hooker Irma Nici told US mag In Touch she’d slept with footie star Becks.

And just days later David was accused of another affair in a friend’s divorce battle.

But former bandmate Mel has revealed Posh is made of stern stuff.

She told me: “Victoria’s absolutely fine despite everything. It’s awful for that kind of thing to happen to her, but Victoria is very strong. She’s been in this environment for a long time where things are sometimes said that aren’t true. There have been so many lies about all of the Spice Girls and their relationships and it’s always awful when it happens.

“But you just ignore them and get on with things.”

Mel is still close to Posh despite the fashion queen literally living on the other side of the world. And Scouser Mel admits one perk of their friendship is free clothes.

She told me: “Victoria sent me two dresses for the Olivier Awards and I felt so glamorous in them.”

Spice fans will be flocking to see Mel in Liverpool next month where she’ll be playing Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers.

But they will be left disappointed to hear Mel deny reports of a second Spice Girls reunion, supposedly in the pipeline for the 2012 Olympics. She revealed: “It’s all rumour, unfortunately.

“It’s not something we’ve discussed and we definitely haven’t been approached to do it.

“We don’t even know if the Olympic committee would want the Spice Girls.”

But Mel admitted they will be making an outing as a five-piece at the first night of the Spice musical, Viva Forever, which she says will open in 2012. She added: “It would be rude not to get back together for that, wouldn’t it?”

Catch Mel in Blood Brothers at the Liverpool Empire from November 8 to 20. See liverpool-empire.org.uk.