Strictly Christmas Special 2025: Melanie Blatt's scoliosis, her ex music star husband and epic fallout with All Saints
The singer is known to need a walking stick from time to timeMelanie Blatt will be showing off her ballroom skills and shrugging off her scoliosis today as she takes part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.
But how much do you know about the All Saints star?
Melanie has been partnered with Kai Widdrington for the festive episode of Strictly and, although she enjoyed it, she also says she found it “deeply uncomfortable”.
The singer certainly isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She’s definitely done that more than once.
Strictly is likely to be a big challenge for Melanie, as she suffers from the medical condition scoliosis.
Here’s everything we know about it, while looking at who her former music star husband was – and everything about her bust up with All Saints.
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special: Who is Melanie Blatt?
Melanie Blatt is a Londoner, born and bred. She was born in Camden on March 25, 1975. This makes her 50 years old.
The star’s mother is French and her father is British, with links to Poland and Russia. Melanie has one sister called Jasmine and they were raised in both the UK and France.
Melanie – or Mel as she is also known – showed a talent for music as a child. She attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School and became best friends with Nicole Appleton.
Nicole would later become Mel’s All Saints bandmate.
Melanie Blatt’s scoliosis
Melanie was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child. The NHS explains it is where the spine “twists and curves to the side”.
Last year, Mel spoke on Celebrity Race Across the World about how she was diagnosed with the condition. She said: “They discovered I had scoliosis a few months into stage school. I was doing ballet there and my ballet teacher was like, ‘Stand up straight’ and I was like, ‘I am’.”
Melanie’s mum Hélène, who she competed on the BBC show with, added: “She had really badly twisted spine and the hospital informed us that if we didn’t put her in a brace and do this kind of thing she would probably be paralysed at the age of 21.
“So we left England, sold everything and went to France for her operation.”
Mel was shocked to hear her mother admit that there was a 50/50 per cent chance she could be paralysed during the surgery. She had three metal rods inserted in her back and, thankfully, it all went well.
In 2020, Melanie shared an X-ray photograph of her back on Instagram. She mused in the caption: “Send nudes. Ok then. This lovely contraption has been holding me up for 34 years, thank you contraption.”
‘A stick helps’
Melanie does still suffer with symptoms from time to time and has been known to use a walking stick. Two years ago, the star spoke to The Guardian and was asked what her ‘most treasured possession is’.
She replied: “A walking stick that my sister picked up a couple of years ago in a charity shop. It is my lifeline at Glastonbury.
“I’ve got scoliosis and I’ve had a metal rod in my spine since I was a kid, so by Sunday I’m exhausted and that little stick helps.”
When did Melanie join All Saints?
Melanie’s first taste of girlband life came in 1993 when she joined the band Drive and released a single called Curfew.
She later met Shaznay Lewis at a recording studio, based on All Saints Road in London, and quit Drive. Initially, All Saints was a trio with Simone Rainford. But Simone later left and Nicole and Natalie joined the band.
All Saints released their debut single, I Know Where It’s At, in 1997 and it shot to Number 4 in the charts. Their second song, Never Ever, did even better.
All Saints topped the charts in both the UK and Australia with the catchy ballad. It also made the top 10 in the US and Canada.
There was no stopping the girls. Their self-titled album peaked at Number 2 and it was followed by two more Number 1 singles; Under the Bridge/ Lady Marmalade and Bootie Call.
All Saints’ 2000 song Pure Shores was used on the soundtrack to the movie The Beach, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Again, this was a Number 1, and it was followed by Black Coffee, which also topped the charts.
Their second album, Saints & Sinners, was also a Number 1 hit. But after the release of their song All Hooked Up, the band spectacularly hit the skids and they split up in 2001.
Why did All Saints split?
Melanie spoke candidly about All Saints’ split in the recent BBC Two documentary series, Girlbands Forever. She explained how all four girls fell out under the pressures of the music industry.
Mel said: “The friendship and business took its toll on us. It was tricky, it was always tricky. Our communication wasn’t great. But when you look back, a lot of the things that were dramatic could have been so easily resolved. But that’s hindsight. It’s a right (bleep).”
When asked why the band broke up, Mel replied: “Because we didn’t like each other. We’d fallen out. It was hell. It was like separate everything and just so ridiculous.
“But literally one of the proudest moments of being in that band was calling it quits because we didn’t stay for the money. We wanted to be done and we didn’t want to be with each other anymore.
“We made that decision, we were in control.” She added: “We were supposed to go on tour and we had to give the money back. And I am so proud of that.
“One of the only decisions we were all happy to make together was to tell each other to (bleep) off.”
Thankfully, the girls are now all friends again and have reformed as All Saints.
Melanie’s music star husband
In 1998, Melanie married Stuart Zender. Stuart was famed for being the bassist of the 90s band Jamiroquai, fronted by Jay Kay.
The couple had met when their paths crossed in the music industry and it was a whirlwind romance. The following year, Melanie gave birth to their daughter Lilyella.
In Girlband’s Forever, Melanie said she had been advised by All Saints’ management to have an abortion when she fell pregnant with Lilyella. Her bandmate Nicole was also pregnant and told the same thing.
Melanie kept her baby, while Nicole didn’t. Mel tearfully said was “tricky”.
Mel and Stuart split in 2006 after eight years of marriage. The couple kept the reason for their break-up private but Mel has since touched on it.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on the White Wine Question Time podcast, Mel said: “Do you know what, being a little bit serious, I spent maybe eight years of my life living a lie, being in a relationship and losing all my friends and not being myself for a long time.
“t took me years to get out of that mindset, and ever since I got through that, I’ve said: ‘I’m never going to be anyone but myself’. Now I’m happy with who I am.”
Melanie has not disclosed if she is in a new relationship.
Melanie Blatt on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2025
Melanie and Kai’s dance for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special is being kept under wraps. However, Mel has described it as ‘theatre jazz with props’.
She has also admitted the entire Strictly experience is ‘out of her comfort zone’.
Melanie said: “It was really daunting at first, but I’ve grown to love it. Kai’s been amazing, so supportive, and I think he’s been
able to get the best out of me and help me showcase what I’m good at.
“It’s actually become quite addictive – the excitement that you feel when you get it right.”
She added: “The main thing that I’ve had to overcome is the outfit side of things. I’m not a dress wearer, but I’ll be wearing a long flowy dress for this. I’m very particular about the shapes and the things that I wear.
“So that’s been quite challenging, but it’s good to be challenged. And it’s made me realise to just go for it and not care so much.”
What time is the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special?
Melanie’s fellow Strictly competitors are Westlife’s Brian McFadden, Gladiator Jodie Ounsley, TV star Scarlett Moffatt, comedian Babatunde Aléshé and actor Nicholas Bailey.
You can watch them in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special today (Thursday December 25, 2025) at 5.30pm. It airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
There is no public vote, as the show is pre-recorded. Judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Motsi Mabuse will pick this year’s winner.
Good luck, Mel!
