The Spice Girls have played their final gig, bringing the curtain down on a reunion tour that netted them millions of pounds despite finishing earlier than planned.

The final stop on the girls` whirlwind tour -- which included 47 shows in the US, Canada, Europe -- was Toronto, where the five performed in front of a full house and ended the night with a group hug on stage.

Citing `family commitments` earlier this month, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham cut short their `Return of the Spice Girls` tour.

But media reports have suggested the real reason has more to do with backstage rows and disappointing ticket sales in some of the cities they were due to perform in.

The band has rubbished the claims, even filming a short video in which they say they have to put their children first and they get on well as bandmates.

Shows were cancelled in Australia, South Africa, China and Argentina.

The Spice Girls are said to have each netted ten million pounds from the tour.



On their website, the five wrote a short message to fans saying they hope `girl power` will live on through future generations.

"Our time is up...we`ve come to the end of the road...there are tears of both sadness and joy," they wrote, ending with the words: "mission accomplished."

Each of the girls is thought to have new projects lined up, although Mel C is expected to be the only one to release a solo album in the near future.
sections: Celebrities