Friends told the newspaper Emma had married long-term boyfriend Jade Jones, 22.

"How did you find out? Who told you?" Emma asked Sun photographers lying in wait after a tip-off from those close to the popstar. "It's a very private occasion so I'd rather us not pose for a picture and I don't want to say anything. You can print what you like - it'll be quite funny," she told the mass-circulation tabloid.

Emma's mother, Pauline, was seen carrying a helium-filled "Just Married" balloon as they left a function at a hotel in Cockfosters. Spice Girl aides refused, however, to confirm a wedding ceremony had taken place, and none of the other Spice Girls was there.

Jade, a singer, started dating Emma in 1998. The couple split the following year but got back together after six months. Last November he said the couple hoped to marry. Emma, believed to be worth 20 million pounds (almost 30 million dollars), would be the third Spice Girl to wed.

Posh Spice Victoria has been married to Manchester United star David Beckham since 1999 but the marriage of Mel B (Melanie Brown - Scary Spice) to dancer Jimmy Gulzar ended in the divorce courts.

(dpa)