Geri Halliwell turns 51! Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Mel C wish former bandmate and ‘soul sister’ a happy birthday with gushing tributes: ‘Love you to bits Ginge’

Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Mel C took to Instagram to share gushing tributes to Geri Halliwell as her former bandmate turned 51 on Sunday.

Baby Spice Emma, ​​47, shared a series of snaps from their time together in the iconic girl band, declaring them ‘soul sisters’.

Meanwhile, Sporty Spice Mel C, 49, posted his own tribute in which he affectionately referred to Geri as ‘Ginge’.

Emma’s montage was based on the band’s 1996 hit Say You’ll Be There and documented their friendship with fun clips from BTS, as well as a photo from Geri’s 2015 wedding to Christian Horner.

She captioned the post: ‘I love you to bits. Happy birthday my soul sister @gerihalliwellhorner. I hope they are pampering you and sending lots of hugs.’

Friends: Sporty Spice Mel C, 49 (R) affectionately referred to Geri as ‘ginger’ along with flashback snaps and a recent photo of them together in the final of the Women’s Euro for England.

Mel C shared her own flashback images with one showing Geri playfully pretending to strangle her as they posed for the camera.

Another image showed them together at the Women’s Euro Cup final at Wembley in August 2022.

She wrote: ‘Happy birthday @gerihalliwellhorner!’

‘Wow, these birthdays come fast! We have made so many wonderful memories together, I hope we can make more in no time. Have a fantastic day, love you so much Ginge’.

The Spice Girls burst onto the music scene with their bandmates Mel B and Victoria Beckham in 1996.

They have sold 105 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time.

It comes after Victoria said she would not be reuniting with the band at Glastonbury next year following recent speculation.

It was claimed that the five members of the group would reunite for a headlining position at the Worthy Farm festival in 2024 to mark the group’s 30th anniversary.

Steadfast Friends: Emma’s montage was based on the band’s 1996 hit Say You’ll Be There and documented their friendship with fun clips from BTS, as well as a photo from Geri’s 2015 wedding to Christian Horner.

Iconic: Emma (L) and Geri (R) pictured on the set of the band’s 1996 video Say You’ll Be There

Back on stage: photographed during the band’s 2017 tour

Love: She captioned the post: ‘I love you to bits. Happy birthday my soul sister @gerihalliwellhorner. I hope they are pampering you and sending lots of hugs’

But a source close to Posh Spice insisted that she would rather focus on her fashion label.

However, Victoria hasn’t ruled out a separate ‘celebratory appearance’ with her bandmates Geri Horner, Mel B, Melanie C and Emma Bunton – although she won’t necessarily be singing.

A source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: “Glastonbury is possibly the coolest concert on the planet, but Victoria won’t be doing it next year.”

“She has carved out a career as a fashion designer that has put blood, sweat and tears into it, so singing is something she should consider carefully.

“Unfortunately, she has been greatly ridiculed when she has sung in the past.

‘She’s a different person now. She fondly remembers hers her years in the Spice Girls – they were very special to her – so she hasn’t ruled out a celebration, perhaps, at some point.

Back in time: Mel C shared her own flashback images with one showing Geri playfully pretending to strangle her while posing for the camera

Football fans: Another image showed them together at the Women’s Euro Cup final at Wembley in August 2022

Congratulations: She wrote: ‘Happy birthday @gerihalliwellhorner!’ ‘Wow, these birthdays come fast! We have made so many wonderful memories together, I hope we can make more in no time. Have a fantastic day I love you to bits Ginge

“And Glastonbury is not at all interested in having the group without Posh, it just doesn’t have the same appeal.”

Victoria will take part in a documentary by Star Wars director JJ Abrams, which will tell the story of the group’s rise to fame in the 1990s, featuring interviews and previously unseen footage from their personal archives.

The star did not join the Spice Girls on their 2019 UK tour and confessed that her decision not to participate took a lot of ‘courage’.

Victoria told Vogue: “It took me a lot of courage not to go on tour with the Spice Girls again, but to be the one to say, ‘You know, I’m not doing it because things feel different now than they used to. .”‘

Gutted: It comes after Victoria said she wouldn’t be reuniting with the band at Glastonbury next year following recent speculation (Spice Girls pictured 2007)