Fans of the Spice Girls will have to wait until 2017 for the band’s much-rumoured reunion after they cancelled their scheduled performance on the live final of ‘The X Factor’ this weekend.

Ginger Spice Geri Horner, Baby Spice Emma Bunton and Scary Spice Mel B were due to make their much-publicised comeback on Saturday (December 10th) on the finale of the ITV singing competition, duetting in a performance with Louis Walsh’s boyband 5 After Midnight, who had previously sung the Spice Girls’ ‘Say You’ll Be There’ on the series.

Spice GirlsMel B, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton were due to perform on 'The X Factor' this weekend

However, plans are said to have fallen through at the last minute, with Mel B’s schedule for rehearsing on Broadway proving to be a sticking point. Last year’s ‘X Factor’ winner Louisa Johnson and Clean Bandit will take the trio’s place, according to reports.

“The girls were very keen to make it happen and negotiations went on throughout the week,” a source told The Sun on Thursday (December 8th). “But at the end of the day they couldn’t make the schedules work.”

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“Mel B was in town for the filming of ‘Lip Sync Battle’, but she has to get to New York to start rehearsals for Chicago on Broadway. They did everything they could to make the schedules work at the end of the day but it just couldn’t happen.”

The final show of ‘The X Factor’ now traditionally sees each act duetting or collaborating with an established star.

Matt Terry will be performing with his mentor Nicole Scherzinger, after both Sam Smith and James Arthur declined the producers’ invitations. Saara Aalto will be performing with Queen’s Adam Lambert, while The Weeknd, Kylie Minogue and Little Mix have all reportedly been booked as the show’s live performers.

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