In 2015, we covered the wedding of Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner. At the time, I attempted to describe the sh-tstorm around the wedding – Horner had abandoned his longtime partner/girlfriend to get with Geri, and Horner’s parents were so mad about his new relationship that they refused to go to his wedding. Only one of Geri’s Spice Girl mates attended the wedding too. Since the 2015 wedding, there have been rumors about the state of their marriage, but honestly, I always saw it as more of a “local story” in the UK. The British media loves to gin up controversy and scandal about their British celebrities and Spice Girls always sell. This is something else though – last week, Horner was (credibly) accused of sexually harassing a female coworker at Formula 1. Over the weekend, at the F1 race in Bahrain, Geri put in an appearance as a loving and supporting wife to combat the accusations against her husband.
Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner was seen getting cozy with her husband Christian Horner on Saturday, just days after the news broke that the Formula One boss allegedly sent sexual text messages to a coworker.
On Wednesday, Red Bull Racing announced the conclusion of a mysterious investigation into Horner’s “inappropriate behavior,” but did not offer any explanation as to what the allegations against him were. At the time, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf had reported that Horner allegedly sent “sexually suggestive messages” to a staffer on his F1 team.
Page Six later published that they’d obtained copies of these text messages, in which Horner allegedly told her she looks “very attractive” in Spanx and when she replied they were just leggings, he said that what’s in them is what counts. He also reportedly asked the woman for selfies of her in pajamas and later asked her to delete the chat. Horner has denied any wrongdoing.
“I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations,” Horner said Thursday in a statement. “I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully cooperated with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister and it has concluded, dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.”
The couple, who married in 2015, were seen at the Bahrain Grand Prix holding hands and kissing for the cameras, a sign of solidarity after a week of being embroiled in scandal.
Re: the investigation – from the sound of it, the defense was that this was an attempted affair, not sexual harassment. That turns a blind eye to whether Horner was this woman’s boss (likely) and whether he abused his authority by sending sexually explicit texts or having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Anyway, of course Geri showed up in Bahrain and made a big show of holding his hand and kissing him in front of the cameras. That seems entirely on-brand for what little I know of Ginger Spice.
Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner arrive hand-in-hand at the Bahrain Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/ajQdCbXAqo
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) March 2, 2024
Photos courtesy of Xavi Bonilla / Panoramic / Avalon, IMAGO/HOCH ZWEI / Avalon, IMAGO / Avalon.