Geri Halliwell’s relationship with Christian Horner has been rocked in recent days by claims of his inappropriate behavior toward a subordinate female employee – but it seems the start of their relationship was just as dramatic.
While all eyes are typically on the track during Formula 1 races, it was in the paddock where all the action between Geri and Christian took place – and it’s there where all eyes will remain this week in hopes of seeing the duo step out in public together for the first time since the scandal unfolded.
Earlier today, the former Spice Girl, 51, landed in Bahrain on a private jet to meet with her husband who was hauled in for crisis talks with F1 bosses after texts that alleged to show the exchanges were leaked.
Horner, 50, was cleared to continue as Red Bull team principal on Wednesday following an internal probe into ‘inappropriate behavior’ – which he has always denied.
But just 24 hours later, the WhatsApp messages apparently exchanged between Horner and the complainant were sent from an anonymous email to 149 journalists and leading figures in F1 – leading to friends warning that his marriage to Geri was ‘in question for the first time.’
Geri Halliwell’s relationship with Christian Horner has been rocked in recent days by claims of his inappropriate behavior toward a subordinate female employee
The Red Bull boss – seen today – is at the center of a deepening scandal after text messages allegedly exchanged between him and a female employee were leaked
As well as putting his marriage under threat, Horner, 50, is also at risk of falling foul of the moral behavior code set by F1 governing body the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
Yet, Halliwell and Horner’s partnership has seemingly been marred with controversy from the start after it emerged from the embers of a domestic drama.
The Red Bull manager had initially cast aside his long-term partner, Beverley Allen, who only gave birth to his daughter, Olivia, six months prior in favor of the pop star.
Halliwell had reportedly been keen to strike up a friendship with Horner for years and was caught on camera inching ever closer to the Red Bull boss, The Mail on Sunday previously reported.
In 2009, Ginger Spice attended the Monaco Grand Prix and was pictured on the arm of Bernie Ecclestone with Horner hovering in the background.
But Halliwell remained determined to strike up a friendship and two years later she was back in Monaco once again.
This time she had one arm flung around flamboyant former team owner and commentator Eddie Jordan with the other clasping the back of a seemingly nervous Horner.
Leaning away, with at least a foot between them, his expression was something between a smile and a grimace.
2009: Ginger Spice attended the Monaco Grand Prix and was pictured on the arm of Bernie Ecclestone with Horner hovering in the background
2011: Halliwell had one arm flung around flamboyant former team owner and commentator Eddie Jordan with the other clasping the back of a seemingly nervous Horner
2013: By the time the British Grand Prix at Silverstone came around in 2013, the couple appeared very close
The Red Bull manager had initially cast aside his long-term partner, Beverley Allen (pictured), who only gave birth to his daughter, Olivia, six months prior, in favor of the pop star
But what a difference another two years made.
By the time the British Grand Prix at Silverstone came around in 2013, the pair appeared very close.
Halliwell smiled straight into the camera while Horner seemed happy and relaxed.
It’s not clear how the relationship between Formula 1’s best-loved couple descended into difficulties at what should have been a time of such joy.
But sources previously said Geri had clearly set her sights on the sporting boss as a friend of Horner’s claimed she had been following him ‘for a few years.’
Beverley gave birth to Horner’s child at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK, while he was away at the Japanese Grand Prix.
He later explained he had hoped to fly home in time but Beverley went into labor earlier than expected.
He told reporters at the time: ‘Olivia arrived about 3.30am Tokyo time.
‘We went out for some karaoke on Wednesday and wetted the baby’s head.
‘Fatherhood will probably be my biggest challenge.’
Not long after, Beverley, a former pub landlady, was closeted behind the gates of the couple’s sprawling Oxfordshire mansion where in happier times the couple kept chickens, ducks, dogs and miniature ponies.
She and Horner divorced and one crew member, who saw Halliwell and Horner together at the British Grand Prix in 2013, said: ‘It was really weird. Geri just sort of appeared – I mean appeared everywhere.
2015: Following a brief split, Halliwell and Horner were eventually reunited before tying the knot
2017: Haliwell and Horner later welcomed son Monty (pictured alongside her daughter Bluebell from a previous relationship and his daughter Olivia from his first marriage)
‘So after the race, Christian was giving an interview and she just wandered into the shot. She wasn’t supposed to be there and no one was expecting her, but then she was given a microphone and just sort of gatecrashed the interview.’
It was reported at the time that Halliwell had been telling friends that ‘Christian’s the one,’ although she has notoriously unlucky in love, once admitting: ‘I think we all know that relationships haven’t been one of my strong points.’
Her previous boyfriends have included Chris Evans, Russell Brand and Robbie Williams but she was also once engaged to Italian shipping tycoon Fabrizio Politi.
Halliwell and Horner were engaged in 2014 after just months of dating but are said to have briefly split while he attempted to rescue his 14-year relationship with Beverley, which reportedly left the singer devastated.
But the couple were eventually reunited before tying the knot in 2015 and welcoming son Monty together in 2017.
Horner had been with Beverly for 14 years. Six years his senior, she had been by his side throughout his professional ascent while he acted as a stepfather to her two sons from a previous relationship.
