14 January 2026
Mel B used to babysit Micah Richards when he was growing up in Leeds.
Mel B used to babysit Micah Richards
The former England and Manchester City defender, now 37, grew up in the 50-year-old singer’s hometown, and he has revealed before her Spice Girls fame, she used to look after him as a child.
Speaking to podcast co-hosts Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football, he said: “Mel B, she used to babysit me when I was younger.
“Get her on the pod! My sister [still] does her hair now.”
Alan quipped: “Can I just ask… what the f*** am I on here?”
Gary was similarly baffled as he described the tale as “unbelievable”, while football pundit Micah admitted the pair are still in touch.
He added: “This is way back, back in Leeds days. I spoke to her just a couple of months ago.”
Meanwhile, he also joked that the reason he’s never told the story before is to “save something for the pod”.
He said: “It’s not known. You’ve always got to save something for the pod, haven’t you? Always have something up your sleeve.
“I don’t remember too much of it but there were obviously pictures back in the day, yeah.”
During his youth career, Micah started in the Leeds United academy, before a spell with Oldham Athletic, and then signed with Manchester City at 14 years old in 2001, where he rose up the ranks to make his senior debut four years later.
After a decade at the club, he joined Aston Villa before retiring in 2019, going onto become a pundit on the BBC’s Match of the Day, and in the US on CBS alongside Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry.
After her babysitting days, Mel rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Spice Girls, before the Wannabe hitmakers split in 2001.
She continues to work on the likes of America’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer Australia, but moved back to Leeds in 2019 after a spell in the US.
