{"id":684351,"date":"2026-01-09T11:23:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T11:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/684351\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T11:23:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T11:23:16","slug":"mel-cs-my-london-dinner-at-dorian-park-walks-and-hoarding-trainers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/684351\/","title":{"rendered":"Mel C&#8217;s My London: dinner at Dorian, park walks and hoarding trainers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/newsletter_style_embed_desktop.png\" alt=\"STYLE\" width=\"158px\" height=\"158px\" class=\"sc-gytJtb kpUGLA\"\/><\/p>\n<p>North London, it\u2019s cosy, a place that feels both calm and inspiring, where green spaces, creativity and a sense of community come together. It\u2019s where the pace softens just enough for you to breathe, think and feel grounded \u2014 a neighbourhood that feels like its own little world, even within a big city.<\/p>\n<p>Where was your first flat in London?<\/p>\n<p>I moved to London from the North to study when I was 16. I lived with families for the first couple of years, then moved in with friends in Sidcup, Kent. I also shared a flat with Mel B and Geri in Finchley Central and I\u2019m sure you can imagine how noisy we were, our poor neighbours. We had a plaque at the front door engraved \u201cSpice HQ\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Where do you stay in London?<\/p>\n<p>Claridge\u2019s is my favourite hotel, I love the feeling of being transported to another era as you walk through the doors. Afternoon tea or a cocktail in one of the bars there is a real treat.<\/p>\n<p>What was your first job in London?<\/p>\n<p>After leaving performing arts college in Kent I recorded vocals for a theatre production. I was auditioning for a lot of West End productions like Cats when I was handed a flyer to audition for a girl band \u2014 that band became the Spice Girls.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1056282338.jpeg\" width=\"1937\" height=\"1327\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kRUyJB\"\/><\/p>\n<p>AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Where would you recommend for a first date?<\/p>\n<p>A walk in one of our beautiful parks, Hyde Park, Regent\u2019s Park or Hampstead Heath, and if it\u2019s going well a cosy little pub is never far away.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the best meal you\u2019ve had in London?<\/p>\n<p>We have some fantastic restaurants in London, my current favourite is Dorian in Notting Hill. I also love Mexican food \u2014 Kol in Marylebone is extraordinary.<\/p>\n<p>What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?<\/p>\n<p>London is an incredible city but we are often accused of not being the friendliest bunch. I\u2019d like to change that by encouraging people to chat on public transport and on the street, make our city feel more of a community.<\/p>\n<p>What makes someone a Londoner?<\/p>\n<p>The beauty of this city is its diversity, many things can make you a Londoner.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2251650200.jpg\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kRUyJB\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?<\/p>\n<p>Almost every black cab I jump in I have a lovely chat and the cabbie tells me how his favourite song of mine is When You\u2019re Gone, my duet with Bryan Adams.<\/p>\n<p>Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer?<\/p>\n<p>Only in Spice World the movie and Emma got us out of that.<\/p>\n<p>Where do you go to let your hair down?<\/p>\n<p>If they haven\u2019t started there, the best nights will always end up in Soho for sure.<\/p>\n<p>What are you up to at the moment for work?<\/p>\n<p>I recently released a new song called Sweat, it\u2019s the first single from my upcoming album out on May 1. I\u2019m playing the Brixton Academy in October this year. I\u2019m so excited, I\u2019ve never played there and it\u2019s such an iconic venue.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1404712965.jpeg\" width=\"2509\" height=\"3764\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"sc-eqUAAy kRUyJB\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>I have a ridiculous amount of trainers, an obsession that started in the 1990s. My go-to is Nike Air Max 90s \u2014 I have them in so many colours as I love to coordinate.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s your favourite London beauty spot?<\/p>\n<p>Nilam Holmes has just opened in the Melia White House hotel \u2014 she and her team are the absolute go-to for all your beauty needs. It\u2019s a beautiful space and you leave feeling and looking brand new. Samantha Cusick is my favourite hairdresser in town, she has salons in Notting Hill, Fitzrovia and Liverpool Street. All the stylists are lovely and brilliant \u2014 their cocktails are amazing too.<\/p>\n<p>What apps can you not live without in the city?<\/p>\n<p>If you live in London you need Citymapper, it\u2019s really easy to use and will get you anywhere you need to be. I\u2019m a big lover of Lime bikes so I couldn\u2019t live without that app too.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwanderson.com\/collections\/loafer-bags\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"North London, it\u2019s cosy, a place that feels both calm and inspiring, where green spaces, creativity and a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,4884,257,31886,47389,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-684351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-london","12":"tag-mel-c","13":"tag-my-london","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115864889455572394","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}