Emma Bunton Biography

Emma Lee Bunton was born on January 21, 1976, in Finchley, Barnet, London, to a karate instructor mother, Pauline Elizabeth Bunton, and a milkman father, Trevor Herbert Bunton. Bunton has Irish and English roots.

Bunton was 3 when she won a beauty contest and appeared as the face of Mothercare. Her parents separated when she was 11, following which she lived with her mother. She grew up with her younger brother, Paul. She has a half-brother named Robert, too.

She initially attended the St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Primary School in Finchley and later joined the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, where she studied acting. At age 14, Bunton was forced to drop out of school because her parents could not afford her fees. However, she was back with a scholarship soon.

At 16, she joined a 2-year drama course at Barnet Technical College. Bunton appeared in TV commercials for Polly Pocket and Mentadent P toothpaste in her early days.

Before joining the Spice Girls, Emma Bunton appeared in minor roles in a few British TV series. In 1993, she appeared in the series The Bill. She had also auditioned for the role of Bianca in the BBC soap EastEnders but lost the role to Patsy Palmer. However, she had appeared as a mugger in the same soap in 1992. She also appeared as a prostitute in the BBC drama series To Play the King and was seen in a British government public information film regarding firework safety.

In 1994, Emma Bunton, along with Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Adams, responded to an ad in The Stage, that asked for female singers interested in forming a girl band. Of the approximately 400 women who had applied, Chisholm, Halliwell, Adams, and Brown were selected as the original members of the group, along with Michelle Stephenson. Stephenson, however, opted out, and Abigail Kis took her place, before she too backed out, leaving the vacant spot to Emma Bunton.

Initially known as Touch, the band later came to be known as the Spice Girls. They became a global sensation with their debut album, Spice, and their first single, Wannabe (1996). Bunton, being the youngest member of the group, soon earned the nickname Baby Spice.

Wannabe became a huge hit and topped the UK Singles Chart for 7 weeks. It also became the biggest-selling single by an all-girl band in history. This was followed by the release of Spiceworld in 1997. Tracks such as Say You'll Be There and 2 Become 1 from Spice and Too Much and Spice Up Your Life from Spiceworld catapulted them to stardom.

In November 1999, Bunton released her first solo single, a cover of What I Am, in collaboration with the electronic dance duo Tin Tin Out. In 2000, after Halliwell left the group temporarily, Bunton and the other Spice Girls released their third album, Forever, with hits such as Holler.

In April 2001, Bunton released her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me, which included her number 1 hit What Took You So Long and her 1999 cover of What I Am. The British Phonographic Industry awarded the album with a “gold” certification. The album also included the top 5 hit Take My Breath Away and the top 20 hit We're Gonna Sleep Tonight.

In 2003, she came up with her second solo album, Free Me, with tracks such as Free Me, I'll Be There, Crickets Sing for Anamaria, and Maybe. In 2006, Bunton released the album Life in Mono, featuring the singles Downtown and All I Need To Know.

She went back to work just 4 months after giving birth to her first son, Beau, and performed in The Spice Girls Tour 2007. She later returned to work just 5 months after giving birth to her 2nd son, Tate, to present the radio show Heart Breakfast.

In 2012, all 5 Spice Girls reunited for the last time for the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2016, Emma Bunton, Mel B, and Geri Halliwell reunited for the 20th anniversary of the debut album of The Spice Girls. In 2019, Bunton released the album My Happy Place.

She has also appeared in TV commercials for Prego and for the supermarket chain Tesco. Bunton has also appeared in several movies. Her debut film was the 1993 BBC short TV movie Thatcherworld, which had her playing Josie Jenkins. Unfortunately, the pilot remined unsold.

With the 4 other Spice Girls, she was named as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine. In 2005, she was placed at number 70 on FHM's list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World.

Bunton also co-owns the environment-friendly product line for babies and mothers, Kit and Kin UK. Over the years, she has appeared in shows such as Dancing on Ice (2010-2011), RuPaul's Drag Race (2018 and 2021), and The Circle (2022).

She has also appeared in films such as Spice World (1997), Pyaar Mein Twist (her Bollywood debut, 2005), and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016). She voiced Mama Bear in the 2018 movie Smallfoot.

Bunton has also contributed to charitable causes related to child abuse prevention among others. She has been a UNICEF ambassador, too.

Emma Bunton was in an on-again/off-again relationship with movie producer Simon Fuller from 1996 to 2002. In 1997, rumors claimed she had a brief fling with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

From 1997 to 1999, she dated English singer Lee Brennan. From 1999 to 2000, she was known to be dating former footballer Rio Ferdinand.

Bunton first began dating British singer Jade Jones in 1998. The couple split briefly in May 1999 but got back together in November 2000. Bunton and Jones split again in March 2002.

The couple started dating again in 2004. On January 26, 2007, Bunton announced her pregnancy with Jones. On August 10, 2007, their first son, Beau Lee Jones, was born. The couple had their 2nd son, Tate Lee Jones, on May 6, 2011.

They got engaged on January 21, 2011 and eventually got married on July 13, 2021. It is believed, Bunton had also had brief affairs with Jamie Theakston, Jamie Morrison, and Justin Timberlake, from 2002 to 2003.

Known for her blue eyes, blonde hair, and evergreen smile, Bunton sports a tattoo with the words “Baby Spice” on her back. At 25, she was diagnosed with endometriosis and feared she would not be able to be a mother ever. Bunton and Victoria Beckham are godmothers to former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell’s daughter, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell.

An animal lover, Bunton once owned 2 Labrador dogs. She is a Blue Belt in karate.