Geri Halliwell has been left “extremely humiliated” after a series of intimate messages her Formula One boss husband allegedly sent to a colleague were leaked last night.
Friends of the former Spice Girl told the Mail she thought the scandal had finally “disappeared” after Christian Horner was cleared of misconduct on Wednesday.
But now they warn that the emergence of intimate messages will “destroy” Halliwell, 51.
One said: “Christian promised all along there was nothing to it.”
She had supported the 50-year-old motorsport executive during an independent investigation into his company after he was accused of coercive behavior towards a female employee.
Friends of the former Spice Girl told the Mail she thought the scandal had finally “disappeared” after Christian Horner (pictured on Thursday in Bahrain) was cleared of misconduct on Wednesday.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell pose after the F1 Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo di Monza on September 7, 2014.
The messages come a day after Horner was told he would be cleared of a Red Bull investigation into his behaviour.
After being declared free to remain as manager of the world championship-winning team on a salary of £8 million a year.
The Red Bull boss was cleared of any wrongdoing, allowing him to keep his £8million-a-year job and fly to Bahrain ahead of the season-opening Grand Prix on Saturday. Friends of his wife said she had been “very relieved” that her family could finally move on with her lives after Horner spent weeks in the spotlight.
But just 24 hours after being formally acquitted, the Red Bull team principal’s career and marriage appear to have plunged back into chaos. Hundreds of WhatsApp exchanges allegedly between Horner and his colleague, some of a sexual nature, were disclosed through an anonymous email account.
There is no way to check the validity of the long, frequent messages that seem to alternate between the mundane and the intimate.
The tranche of almost 80 screenshots, which included several images, was sent to hundreds of journalists and key Formula One figures. A friend of the former Spice Girl said he now fears how the star, who was left mortified by the embarrassing fight, you will be able to understand such public humiliation.
He said: ‘Geri has been living in this happy, happy bubble for so many years, she thought she had her prince and her knight in shining armor but now this.
“She thought everything was gone, she was delighted and very happy when she found out that Christian had been acquitted.
Geri Halliwell faces fresh torment tonight after WhatsApp text messages and photos allegedly exchanged between her F1 husband Christian Horner and an employee were leaked. Pictured: Halliwell and Horner together at the Monaco Grand Prix last May.
Halliwell and Horner attend the F1 Monaco Grand Prix Gala Dinner on May 28, 2023
Halliwell and Horner at Larkhill Royal Artillery Point to Point in Wiltshire on 27 January
‘Geri was ridiculed when she was with Christian because she had just had another baby with another woman, but she has worked hard to get rid of that image of herself and Christian, and in particular that she is a homewrecker.
“Now everything has collapsed. The tears stopped when the sentencing arrived on Wednesday, now they will surely have started again. This will destroy her. Christian always promised there was nothing to it.
In recent weeks, Halliwell was said to be “mortified and angry” at her husband of almost ten years, with whom she has a seven-year-old son, for humiliating her.
A source close to the star said she “wasn’t sure what to believe” throughout the saga, but was determined to get through it with her marriage unscathed.
‘Geri is not a fish wife, but she finally got the man she wanted and she won’t want to let him go. “This could end up being a big dilemma for her,” the source said.
Among those who received the dossier ahead of this weekend’s race were FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
The Spice Girls star said she is “really grateful” to have Christian Horner as her “best friend”
Horner and Halliwell in a holiday photograph taken on an unidentified beach during Christmas
The couple married in a star-studded ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Woburn in 2015.
Copies were also given to all team managers, as well as Red Bull star Max Verstappen’s father, Jos.
Shortly after the leak, Horner issued a statement saying: “I will not comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate that I have always denied the allegations.”
‘I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and cooperated fully with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation by an independent specialist lawyer, and he concluded by dismissing the complaint filed. “I’m still totally focused on the start of the season.”
The parent company of the world champion team, Red Bull GmbH in Salzburg, launched an investigation into the allegations against Horner on February 5.
Announcing its conclusion on Wednesday, the company said: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete and Red Bull can confirm that the complaint has been dismissed.” The complainant has the right to appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial. ‘
Horner, who has won 13 world championships since leading the team as a 31-year-old in 2005, had previously thanked his “very supportive wife” for her support during the allegations.