As a child, Victoria was surprisingly lonely; other children often teased her because of her acne and she would even ask her father not to drop her off in front of school so as not to be seen in the family's Rolls-Royce.

no wannabe

Such a personality made her an unlikely candidate for pop stardom, but she found herself in a band while in school. She studied at the Jason Theatre School as a child and then moved on to the Laine Arts Theatre College, where she also dabbled in dance and modeling.

Although her original band never took off, her life was forever changed when she decided to answer an ad in The Stage that was looking for five women who could sing and dance to form a group.

Little did Victoria know that this ad would lead to a group called the Spice Girls, which would eventually leave an indelible mark in music history.

Released in 1996, the Spice Girls' first single, "Wannabe," and their debut album, Spice , were smash hits in the US and abroad. Victoria, along with her band mates Emma, Geri, and the two Mels, became instant household names, with success that changed the face of pop culture and gave new meaning to "girl power."

spicing up lives worldwide

With hits like "2 Become 1" and "Spice Up Your Life," the Spice Girls went on to sell over 35 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide, igniting a worldwide phenomenon in the process.

But this mega success was relatively short-lived. Worldwide tours, millions of albums sold, and a movie (Spiceworld) later, Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell decided to split from the Girls in May 1998, leaving a huge void in the group.

After the remaining foursome released Forever in 2000, which was met with lukewarm sales, the Spice Girls decided to split up and pursue solo projects. Taking some time off and falling in love in the process, Victoria "Posh Spice" Adams wed soccer star David Beckham in July 1999, and together they have two sons, Brooklyn and Romeo.

flying solo

She also released an autobiography, titled Learning To Fly. In 2001, she released her first solo album, Victoria Beckham, which has spawned the singles "Not Such An Innocent Girl" (which unfortunately was clobbered on the charts by Kylie Minogue's comeback single) and "A Mind Of Its Own."