Geri Halliwell ‘utterly humiliated’ as Christian Horner details emerge

Fresh reports are suggesting Geri Halliwell knew and approved of the female staffer working with her husband prior to the scandal.

Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner. Photos: Getty Images/Instagram

Geri Halliwell was left “heartbroken and humiliated” after hundreds of sexts sent by hubby Christian Horner to a female employee were leaked.

The Spice Girl, 51, touched down in Bahrain on Thursday night (Friday AEDT) just as the bombshell messages began to spread around the globe, The Sun reports.

She is planning to be by the Red Bull F1 chief’s side on the pre-race Grand Prix grid in a public show of solidarity.

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But sources said she has been left “distraught and devastated” over the scandal, which Horner, 50, had repeatedly played down.

The devastating trove of texts sent anonymously to F1 bosses and media outlets confirmed Horner did send inappropriate messages behind Geri’s back, despite being cleared in a Red Bull probe.

A source close to the pop star, who was on a Bahrain-bound private jet when the messages emerged, told The Sun: “Geri is heartbroken and feels utterly humiliated. She trusted him when he tried to play down the scandal.

Christian Horner with wife Geri and fellow Spice Girls Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“He always told her he’d done nothing wrong. This will really hurt Geri, who has put everything into their marriage.”

Meanwhile, The Sun has learned that Geri knew of the female employee at the centre of the texting scandal.

A Red Bull insider said she even approved of the woman working in Horner’s team.

It was also claimed the employee was “unhappy” after the messages were leaked and believed the probe into his behaviour had been “one-sided”.

A friend said: “We speak every day and she’s very unhappy – of course. In her way of thinking it’s all very one-sided and she has been crucified.”

Horner was snapped at a practice session in Bahrain with driver Max Verstappen making preparations ahead of qualifying.

It was reported that the Red Bull chief – who has won 13 world titles since heading the team as a 31-year-old in 2005 – had been hauled in for crisis talks with F1 bosses.

Geri Halliwell and Christian Horner in happier times with then-Prince Charles in 2019. (Photo by Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The tension was palpable down in the paddock, with Red Bull team members avoiding mentioning the simmering scandal, other than the odd whisper.

Horner was seen pacing from the hospitality area to the team’s garage, stopping only to check his phone and to sign autographs for waiting children.

An F1 source said Red Bull workers fear there might be more leaked messages to come.

The team boss refused to comment on the leaked WhatsApp sexts.

Last night some of the grubby messages were reported, including a request for a “Santa PJ selfie”. He also regularly joked about Spanx, telling the woman she looks “attractive” in them.

In another, Horner starts by asking: “Can I make a confession?” He then describes a trip on a private jet to Dubai where he claims that the woman got him “out of control”.

She cuts him off by guessing that he had to nip to the bathroom.

Max Verstappen and Horner in the garage during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain. (Photo by Bob McCaffrey/Getty Images)

He confirms her suspicions and says he would have preferred it if she had been there with him. Horner also pesters the woman for photos.

In another exchange, the pair have an innocent discussion about a photo for a travel document. Horner then writes “you could send me a pic”, followed by a winking face emoji.

At one point the female employee asked her boss how he would feel if Geri were to message someone in the way he was.

Horner also repeatedly asks the woman — who works with him at Red Bull’s Milton Keynes HQ – to delete their chat history.

The woman apparently grew tired of her boss’s pleas for pictures and sexy chat, according to the WhatsApp dossier.

🗣️ "It's not our business."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen comments on how allegations against team principal Christian Horner have affected the team. pic.twitter.com/UBDGZiNI0e

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 2, 2024

The leak appeared to be in line with the original accusation over alleged “sexually suggestive” messages sent by Horner.

It was later claimed that the internal inquiry into the team boss was into “controlling and coercive” behaviour towards the woman.

On Thursday, after the messages were leaked, defiant Horner said in a statement: “I won’t comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate, I have always denied the allegations.

“I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated 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.”

There is no suggestion that pictures featuring sexual content are included in the leaked WhatApp messages.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission