Billie Piper, a renowned actress and former pop star, has recently shared some jaw-dropping revelations from her teenage years, including a surprising habit she picked up from the Spice Girls. At a tender age of 15, while mixing with the iconic girl band on the set of ‘Top of the Pops’ in the late Nineties, Piper picked up the habit of smoking cigarettes, given to her by none other than members of the Spice Girls themselves.
Lighting Up the Nineties with the Spice Girls
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, alongside Mel B (Scary Spice), Piper recalled being in awe of the Spice Girls at 15. “I was such a huge fan so imagine being 15 in a dressing room with The Spice Girls, I used to smoke cigarettes with you guys in the dressing room, you’d give me fags,” Piper said, recalling those early moments of her career. Mel B clarified it was her and Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) sharing cigarettes with the young star. “Yeah, it was you and Emma, and we would sit on the floor at Top of the Pops smoking cigarettes and ashing in a plastic cup, it was heaven,” Billie added fondly.
Billie Piper’s Series of Wild Confessions
But the story of smoking cigarettes wasn’t the only confession Piper made. On the same show, she also revealed her habit of taking keepsakes from set locations, including stealing underwear and a whip from the set of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, another successful project she was apart of. From the iconic Doctor Who series where she starred as Rose Tyler, Piper even snagged some memorabilia from the Tardis, saying, “I took loads of stuff from the Tardis, the main central console.”
From Teen Pop Star to Acclaimed Actress
Long before she joined the ranks of acclaimed British actors, Billie Piper was known for her career as a teenage pop sensation. With a record deal signed at the age of 14—similar to her eldest son’s age now—Piper soared to fame, setting the stage for a career that would eventually see her earning BAFTA nominations for her role in I Hate Suzie in 2021 and 2023. Despite her switch to acting, it appears her children have mixed feelings about their mother’s fame. Piper shared that her older child is indifferent, while her youngest is a fan, often requesting to play her mother’s songs in the car.
Family Life and Moving Forward
While currently starring in the new Netflix drama Scoop, based on the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, Piper keeps her family life relatively private, though she joked her children prefer seeing “real famous people” at conventions rather than their mother’s works. Despite the challenges and changes in her life, including a public divorce from actor Laurence Fox, Piper has continued to portray a variety of dynamic characters on screen, stealing not just props from set but also the hearts of viewers worldwide.
The revelations shared by Piper give fans a rare glimpse into the less-publicized behind-the-scenes moments of 90s pop culture and television history, painting a picture of her journey from a teenage starlet influenced by the biggest girl band of the time to a respected actress in her own right.
Divya