Sporty's got the hots for Chili singer

LUNCH DATE AFTER SPICE GIG

Sporty Spice Mel C has been secretly dating Red Hot Chili Pepper's
Anthony Kiedis, Bizarre can reveal.  The couple met after the
American rocker turned up at one of the Spice Girls gigs in Los
Angeles.

Wild Anthony, who once dated Madonna, asked Mel out and has been
bombarding her with phone calls ever since.  The besotted singer
even sent Liverpool-born Mel a huge bouquet of flowers.  Mel has
been single for months and is said to be flattered by his advances.

Anthony, who once caused outrage by appearing naked with just a sock
over his private parts, asked for a ticket for the Fab Four's gig so
he could meet Mel.

A source said: "There was an instant attraction between them.  The
next day they went out for a cosy lunch together and got on like a
house on fire.  Anthony is just the kind of man that Sporty likes -
incredibly athletic, intelligent and with a great body.  They have so
many things in common.  When they went out it was as if they had
known each other for ages.  Their relationship is obviously something
special because they have been talking on the phone as often as they
can since the girls left Los Angeles."

Mel briefly dated Robbie Williams last year.  And England and Spurs
soccer star Sol Campbell was said to be besotted with her - but Mel
turned him down.

                        AT LAST A MAN-ANA!

After two long years without a boyfriend it looks like someone has
caught Mel C's eye at last.  I can reveal that Sporty Spice, 24, is
dating this good-looking guy.

The pair were caught by my snapper during a secret date on Saturday
night.  And it certainly looked as if it would be a case of "see you
tomorrow" or, as the Spice Girls' latest single goes, "hasta manana".

For the couple kissed, cuddled and held hands as they enjoyed a
romantic dinner at the cheap-but-cheerful Mango Rooms in London's
Camden Town.

"It was obvious from the moment they sat down that she was seriously
into this guy," my man at the next table tells me.  "At first they
drank champagne.  She couldn't keep her hands off this guy, which is
not surprising as she hasn't had a boyfriend for so long."

Mel - dressed in black and showing off that famous tattooed midriff -
and her man were later joined by Baby Spice Emma Bunton.  Emma, 22,
also had a fella in tow as well as a group of eight friends.  I'm
told the group ordered more champagne and discussed their coming
Wembley shows.

"It was surprising that they didn't discuss Mel B's wedding plans or
Posh Spice's baby," says my contact.  "It was almost as if Emma and
Mel C were glad to get away from the rest of the group for a while."

But when The Mirror photographer arrived outside they argued among
themselves about who could have told yours truly about their secret
dinner.

Finally the party broke up with one of millionaire Emma's friends,
a fashion boutique owner, picking up the bill.

"Emma was really keen on going out on the town but all Mel wanted to
do was have a quiet night," adds my spy.  "When Mel said she was too
tired to go out her boyfriend said, 'I'll take you home'."

The pair then slipped outside and jumped into a waiting Mercedes.
Emma and her pals left soon after.

                   DASHING JAKE IS THE SPORTY TYPE

Spice Girl Mel C's secret boyfriend is a talented pop producer she
met during a recording session in Dublin in January, I can reveal.

However, Sporty Spice and dashing Jake Davies only realised they
fancied each other a couple of months ago after they were
reintroduced by a mutual pal, restauranteur Derick Blake.

The pair have been dating properly for a couple of weeks and have
told pals their romance is at a "very early stage".  But anyone at
the David Lloyd Centre in Finchley, London, on Monday could testify
to their mutual attraction.

Mel, 24, and Jake, 28, from Surrey, were together again enjoying a
tough lunchtime work-out at the upmarket sports club.

"We couldn't believe it when they walked in," a Mirror reader who
was in the club tells me.  Mel couldn't wipe the smile off her
face.  She appeared really crazy about this guy and he seemed just
as sweet on her."

Last night Derick Blake, owner of eaterie the Mango Room and the
man who helped spark romance between Mel and Jake, said he was
thrilled the pair had found love.

"Both have been to my restaurant a few times.  It was only when
they arrived together on Saturday night and were really affectionate
all evening that I realised they had become an item."

Yesterday I was flooded with calls from old friends who knew Jake
from his days as an engineer at the capital's Hit Factory recording
studio.
 
"Jake's a lovely bloke," one said.  "People might think he's a lucky
guy going out with someone as rich as Mel but he's not like that at
all.  Money and fame do not impress him one bit."

Another old pal told me that Sporty Spice was not the first pop star
to fall for Jake.

"Madonna took a shine to him a couple of years ago and was
outrageously flirty with Jake.  But Jake never let on about whether
Madonna ever got her wicked way with him."

Since he quit his job, Jake has been working freelance and building
his reputation as an engineer and producer.

Intriguingly his manager Tracy Slater's office is part of Simon
Fuller's 19 Management company. Fuller, as you will recall, was
coldly sacked by the Spice Girls a year ago.

Last night a spokesman for Slater's company TLS said: "It's true
that Jake and Melanie have been dating for a short while.  Their
relationship is in its very early stages."

                       Sporty's still solo

Sporty Spice has no intentions of following in the bootee-steps of
her preggers pals just yet.  Though Mel C clearly enjoyed a night
out in Los Angeles with Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony
Kiedis, she cooled any romance talk.

Unlike pal Emma, who's dating Damage star Jade, Mel hasn't had a
proper boyfriend for two years.  And Anthony - who once wore just
a sock over his privates on stage - doesn't quite measure up as
Mr Right.

A pal said last night: "I don't believe she thinks of him as a
long-term interest."

Well, it's been a long time coming, but at last Sporty Spice has a
new man.  While the other Spice Girls have been finding husbands
and homemaking, Mel C, 24, has been lagging behind, complaining
she can't even find a boyfriend.  Until now, that is.

Sporty has been secretly dating hunky Anthony Kiedis, 35, of
American grunge-rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.  And the athletic
singer, who sports long, straggly hair and tattoos, has been
bombarding her with phone calls since she returned from America.

Kiedis fell for millionaire Mel after watching the Spice Girls in
LA last month and asking to meet her.  Kiedis, famous for hits
Give It Away and Under The Bridge, was so besotted by Sporty that
he made a point of travelling to two more shows, including one in
San Francisco, where he sent her a huge bouquet of flowers.

The pair were later spotted on a series of dates and she plans to
fly back to visit him soon.  "Mel met Anthony after their show in
his home town of LA," revealed a source.  "There was an instant
attraction and you could feel the spark between them.  He asked
her to lunch the next day and she was thrilled.  They got on
brilliantly and were laughing, joking and talking non-stop.  What
Anthony didn't know is that the Chili Peppers are among Mel's
favourite bands.  She likes rock and loves their attitude.
Anthony's very charismatic and has dated some big names in his
time, including Madonna.  He was so keen on Mel after their first
meeting that they couldn't wait to see each other again."

It's been a difficult year for Mel, who's seen two of her fellow
Spices get engaged.  Apart from a fling with Robbie Williams,
who dumped her for All Saint Nicole Appleton, she's had little
luck with men.  She even joked that she'd never find a man while
she was a pop star.

But while she rued her luck, she dismissed the notion that she
hadn't had sex for a year.  "If you believe that, you believe
everything," she said.  "But I don't really get chatted up.
Blokes talk to me about football instead."

Kiedis, however, is unlikely to want to talk football.  "He's
just the kind of guy that Sporty likes - very bright and with
a great body," added the source.

Last week Mel admitted to the affair, saying: "we've been out
and plan to meet again soon."  However, since her return to
Britain, she's been linked with another man, music producer
Jake Davies, after the pair were seen dining out with Emma
Bunton.  A spokesman explained: "Mel and Jake have been working
together in Dublin with the rest of the Spice Girls and have
become friends.  At the moment, it's nothing more than that."