'Baby Spice' again with Spice Girls manager...

LONDON, UK (E. Bunton website) - The British pop star Emma Bunton said Tuesday she had signed a new deal with Simon Fuller,                                        the former Spice Girls manager dumped for encroaching upon the group's "Girl Power."

The blonde, known as "Baby Spice" as part of the band, said she felt Fuller's '19 Management' team would boost her solo career abroad. "They are very supportive of my plans and I am really excited about the future," she said in a statement.

Fuller was seen as the guru behind the Spice Girls, catapulting the group to worldwide stardom with multi-platinum pop albums and a film " Spice World ."
But the girls fired Fuller in 1997, claiming he was exercising too much control. Gossip columnists at the time were obsessed about a possible romance between him and Bunton.

Fuller went on to create the British pop band 'S Club 7' and the hugely successful British television talent spotting show "Pop Idol." British newspapers have estimated his worth at 100 million pounds ($142.1 million).

'19 Management' said Fuller would seek television and film deals for Bunton in the United States. "It won't be just about her as a singer," spokesman Julian Henry told Reuters. "He's aware of the potential someone like Emma has."

The Spice Girls have not officially split up but Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell quit the group in 1998 to pursue a solo career. Her former colleagues -- known in the band as "Posh," "Scary" and "Sporty" Spice in addition to Bunton's "Baby" -- have all followed suit, although with varying degrees of success.

Bunton topped the British charts with her single "What Took You So Long?" in April 2001.