A shivering huddle of shoppers dressed in curly wigs and bunny ears braved the rain to meet Geri Halliwell yesterday.
It may have been a far cry from her Spice Girls heyday but some fans travelled from as far afield as Spain to catch a glimpse of their pop idol.
The pint-sized pop star arrived in style at the Woolworths store in Western Road, Brighton, where she was signing copies of her latest single, Ride It, yesterday.
Stepping out of a limousine she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of bouncers who escorted her into the store.
Fans who had queued from lunchtime craned their necks to get a glimpse of their idol as she strutted past, her trademark ginger curls bobbing.
With a string of pearls around her neck and a pair of black leather gloves adding a touch of class to her outfit, Geri's image was a world away from her early days when she was seen bursting out of a Union Flag dress.
One besotted fan, Juanma Surian, 22, was not put off by the wet weather and less-than-glamorous location.
He had flown from Valencia in Spain to ask her to sign copies of the new pop tune as well as older singles from her Spice Girls past.
He said: "I have always loved the Spice Girls but they never came to Spain very much. The only chance I had to see Geri was to come here. My friends think I am a bit mad."
The crowd of 200 was a smaller reception than Geri was used to when she was in the Spice Girls.
Only a handful had followed her request to dress up. Two men dressed as Tigger and Winnie the Pooh turned a few heads as they hurried along Western Road clutching Geri merchandise.
Once inside, Geri made her way through the aisles of children's toys into the canteen at the back of the shop while previous hits such as It's Raining Men blared through the loudspeakers.
She posed for pictures, pouting and giving the photographers a cheeky smile.
Brighton is the only place where Geri has been signing copies of her latest single.
She said: "It is lovely to be here. I used to come here as a child and I remember sitting on the beach playing with the pebbles."
One cluster of girls had bought their bunny ears after hearing about Geri's appearance while shopping.
Ruth Palmer, 15, of Waldegrave Road, Brighton, said: "I have always been a big fan of the Spice Girls so I was quite excited to hear Geri was coming. We heard we had to dress up so we bought these ears to make an effort."
First in the queue was performing arts student Jessica Csere, 16, of Wilbury Gardens, Hove. She said: "I love Geri Halliwell. She is a really lovely person and her music is brilliant."
