Is Beckham silencing the Spice Girls?

What happened

The Spice Girls apologized to fans as they announced this week that they were cutting short their reunion tour, but denied the decision was because of arguments. On its Web site, the group said it was canceling concerts in Australia, China, South Africa, and Argentina because the singers had family and other personal commitments. (BBC Newsbeat)

What the commentators said

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The Spice Girls say they’re all getting along fine, said the blog Fametastic, but that’s not what the people around them are saying. The rift among the women behind Girl Power has reportedly gone to “such extremes that they’re booked to stay in completely different hotels for the remainder of the tour.”

It’s no secret, said a report in Stuff.co.nz. “Victoria Beckham is the reason the Spice Girls have cut their world tour short.” The 33-year-old star—also known as Posh—apparently told bandmates Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, and Melanie Brown that she was tired of performing and wanted to go home to her husband, soccer star David Beckham, and their three children. Beckham also said she would never perform with the Spice Girls again.

This should come as no surprise, said Ireland On-Line. Beckham said all along that she only agreed to go on tour so that her sons—Brooklyn, 8; Romeo, 5; and Cruz, 2—“could see her onstage.” She now wants to get back to her career as a fashion designer. She says she has no regrets, although “she'll always ‘cringe’ at her pop star looks and some of the outfits she had to wear.”